Concentric Rings
by Arafell
Summary: When Naruto is defeated by the Ten-Tails, Kurama is forced to take drastic measures. Time Travel/AU. NaruHina eventually.
1. 1 A Hole in the Clouds

Concentric Rings

Chapter One - A Hole in the Clouds

OoOoO ? OoOoOo

The sky tore like cloth.

The man looked up, eyebrows raised, as a boy fell from the tear. With a blur of motion, the space around him bent. He disappeared and reappeared directly underneath the child, catching the falling body before it could hit the ground. His body was light - strangely light, considering his size. His hair looked like it had been dipped in blood, then rolled around a few times in a mud pit.

_He must have pushed himself hard to make it this far,_ the man mused, idly staring at the kid. The hole, a bright spot amongst the infinite darkness of the sky, closed quickly. He pulled at the boy's eyelids. The pupils were bright, bright blue. _No Rinnegan. How did he get here?_

He shrugged, and carried the kid back to his tower. He'd find out more later.

oOoOoO **Naruto **OoOoOo

_Naruto._

_ Naruto?_

_ NARUTO!_

He jerked awake, one hand reaching for a kunai, but to his surprise the pouch was missing. Along with the rest of his clothes. Freaking out a little, Naruto glanced around the room, his eyes taking in every facet of his surroundings.

It was a room he'd never seen before. The walls were a crystalline black. There were no obvious light sources, so he surmised that they glowed slightly. Other than the bed, the only piece of furniture was a large stand of some kind, upon which hung a set of clothes. _His_ clothes. Except, his clothes had been burned, charred, and filled with kunai holes, and these were pristine. His holsters hung next to them.

_Obviously I'm not a prisoner,_ he considered, eyes narrowing. _Kurama?_

Echoing silence answered him. He meditated for a moment, reaching his mindscape. When he got to the seal, however, there was a major difference - the room had no cage, like it had in the early years of his life, nor was Kurama inside.

"EHHH?" Naruto yelled in horror, snapping out of his trance. _Forget not being a prisoner! I have to find him now! Tsunade's going to kill me!_

He tossed on his clothes and holster, noting that his headband was still as scratched up as ever, and ran for the only door. He felt strangely - light. Gravity was still functioning, so it wasn't a space-time jutsu, but it took strangely little energy to move at his normal speeds. Not that he could feel the drain anyways, but he'd just gotten out of combat, and he'd expected to be tired.

The door had no visible handle. He considered it for a moment, strangely hesitant to touch the black crystal frame, but he did anyways. To his surprise, it opened at the slightest touch. And by opened, he meant disappeared entirely. Which would have been fine if he had used a delicate touch, but in reality he'd thrown his shoulder against it.

Cursing, Naruto fell through - and down a long, long flight of stairs.

_If Sakura could see me now,_ Naruto thought, smiling. A flash of pain ripped its way through him - not physical, but emotional. He gasped, one hand twisting at his heart. _What was that?_

When nothing further happened, he opened his eyes and sat up. He'd expected to be sore, but he wasn't. He was quickly distracted from this fact, however, by his surroundings. Eyes wide, he stood and gazed at the world he found himself in.

Absolute darkness. It was the only descriptor. The building he came out of was a tower, seeming to stretch forever into the sky. Somewhere, farther than he could see, a reddish dome extended, holding back the inky blackness that was the sky. The ground was more of that black, strangely menacing crystal.

Instantly, he was on full battle alert. No more nice, clumsy Naruto. Time for future-Hokage Naruto. Obviously something serious had happened in the battle with - _pain._ He groaned, sinking to his knees as the world seemed to constrict.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a voice said calmly behind him. Naruto turned, a kunai flickering into his hand. A man was kneeling amongst a boxed in area of dirt. Naruto blinked. He was - he was - gardening?

"Who are you?" Naruto asked, kunai falling slightly. "Where am I?"

"The two are not mutually exclusive," the man said, standing with a scowl. "I can never get anything to grow here."

"Just answer me, dattebayo!" Naruto said, frustrated. "What's with all this weird crystal and the sky and the tower and - did you undress me?!"

"You came without clothes, actually," he replied, rubbing his hands together to get rid of the dirt. "You can call me Advocate. Also, welcome to the trash heap."

**oOoOoO Naruto OoOoOo**

Back in the tower, Naruto was surprised to find that his room had turned into a very familiar classroom. In the better lighting of his old academy, he was able to fully perceive what the man looked like. Or at least, he should have. Strangely, every time he tried to nail a detail down, like the color of his hair or the tone of his skin, it slipped his mind. When he looked at him, there was basically a giant blank spot where he perceived a person.

"Who are you?" he asked again. "Is this - genjutsu?" As if he hadn't tried to release it already.

"Not an illusion, if that's what you mean," he said calmly. "And I told you - call me Advocate."

"Where is this?"

"Interstitial space. It was quite impressive of you to come all the way here without some sort of reality-bending manifestation."

"I don't - I don't understand what you mean," Naruto said, his breath coming with another pang of agony.

"Don't think about it too hard. I've sealed off a portion of your memories for protection. Too much at once will overwhelm you. Suffice to say, you came here of your own free will and as a last resort."

"I still don't understand," Naruto said again, though it was less confused and heartbroken than his normal tone.

"It's fine," Advocate said, grinning. "Mister holier-than-thou Rikudo Sennin came from your world, and even he couldn't really understand without me explaining it all. Perhaps some pictures would go well with the lecture."

He tapped the blackboard. Instantly, a diagram appeared, an oval filled with rings. At the center was a golden dot, followed by a thick red ring, a thin green ring, a thinner white ring, and a blue ring of intermediate size.

"You came from here," he said, tapping the red ring. "Any guesses as to where we are now?"

Naruto thought for a minute. "Either the gold dot or the green ring?"

"Not a bad guess, but no. We're here." He tapped the black line between the gold and red. "And here." The one between red and green. "And here." The one between the green and white. "And the other lines, of course. We are also here." He tapped the outside area. "There are several rings, but only one interstitial space. This is, however, the best representation I can show you."

"Is there a point to this?"

"Point?" Advocate considered. "Well, I was just answering your question, but we can move on I suppose. What else did you want to know?"

"How do I get back?!" He asked, his voice rising. "They're all fighting without - " _PAIN._

In an instant, Advocate was kneeling next to him. The pain receded. "I told you, that's a bad idea. Stop trying to remember. Here, seeming is being."

"Why?" He asked, his throat raw and painful as though he'd been screaming. "Why does it hurt so much?"

"Because you're not here in your body. Focus on my words. Don't bother verifying them, or it's going to hurt more." Advocate waited a moment to let Naruto process. "Naruto, you're dead."

"D-dead? No way! I was so young! I haven't even become Hokage yet!" He wailed, putting his hands to his ears.

Advocate grinned. "Yeah, yeah, too young to die, are you sure I'm dead, etcetera etcetera. Listen, the reason you're here is something hinky went on with your death. Something powerful ripped a hole in your world and sent you here. Something immortal, most likely, and something that belonged to the world in a key fashion. Do you know what it was?"

Naruto didn't stop to think. "Kurama. Or maybe, the shinigami. But probably Kurama. I haven't even met the shinigami since the third died. I wonder if - "

Advocate held up a hand to stop the flow of words. "The point is, this Kurama used himself like a lifeline in an attempt to pull your soul back. However, he wasn't quite powerful enough, and he only managed to put you here. From here on, you're going to need my help."

"To return - from the dead? Like Edo Tensei? Isn't that. . ." Naruto pondered. "Wrong?"

"Time doesn't flow here like it does elsewhere. In your world, you may have just died. It'll hardly be resurrecting, more like restarting a heart."

"Still. . . why wouldn't I just come back?"

"Someone must have sealed Kurama's access to your body. Or perhaps, the world changed too much for your soul to recognize in the time between his use of the technique and your return." Advocated considered. "Alright, I'm going to do you a favor. I'll return you to your world."

"Really?" Naruto asked, eyes sparkling. "That's so - well, I wasn't expecting you to be such a nice guy!"

"There's a catch."

"I knew it dattebayo," Naruto said, depressed. "You're going to ask me for my soul, or my firstborn, aren't you?"

"Nope, I just want you to carry a piece of me with you."

". . . You're still suspicious."

"Deal with it. It's do as I ask, or you won't be able to return."

Naruto sighed. "Fine, I'll do it."

Advocate grinned again. It was strangely terrifying. "Meet me outside."

With that, he was gone. Naruto glanced around the classroom. It was exactly as he remembered it, only, how had Advocate known what it looked like? He picked up an eraser. He chuckled, remembering dropping it on Kakashi's head. What happened to - no. He shouldn't think that way. That seal _hurt._

When he got outside, the garden was gone. In its place was a long, long stairwell that pierced the sky. Advocate stood there, his arms raised, a small smile on his face. His eyes were closed. Naruto blinked, wondering how he knew what his face was doing when he couldn't see what he looked like, then shrugged it off.

"It's ready," Advocate said without moving. "The ball at the bottom - take it with you. I'll let you call on me three times. Call on me four times, and the deals off. I'll kill you, got it?"

"Why would I call such a jerk anyways?" Naruto shot back, scowling.

"You never know," Advocate said ambiguously. "Just don't drop the ball. Don't look down. And whatever you do, don't go back. I'm not sure how many times I can do this. Kurama's lifeline is shaky as it is. I'm not absolutely sure of the effects an unstable tether will have, but it's a chance you're willing to take, I'm sure."

Something about the way he said that irked Naruto to no end. "Listen, you - "

"No time." Advocate said, his form shivering. "Go! Hurry!"

Gritting his teeth, Naruto grabbed the ball - it reminded him of Advocate, all shadowy and hard to perceive - and stepped onto the first stair. Immediately, pain filled him.

_"I'm sorry I couldn't go with you till the end," Hinata said, her eyes filled with sorrow and love. "I know you can do it."_

Naruto gasped. The ball seemed to grow heavier. What was that?

He took another step.

_"Wasn't that great a plan after all," Shikamaru was lying on the ground, a hole in his stomach the size of Naruto's fist._

_ "I can heal you, just stay still!" Even as he said that, he knew - Kurama didn't have enough Chakra. _

_ "I could see through that lie a mile away," Shikamaru said, smiling. One bloody hand grasped his shoulder. "You bear my determination now. Think - like a Nara."_

Naruto screamed. It _hurt._ The ball was weighing him down.

**Don't drop the ball. Don't look down. Don't go back.**

He took another step. Wounds gaped open as he remembered them.

_Gaara. Kakashi. Tsunade. Neji. Rock Lee. His sensai, Gai. Ino. Chouji. Dead. Because he failed. The ten tails roared._

He took another step. His soul gained weight.

_"You're weak," Obito. "You have neither the vision, nor the power to change what must be changed. You're friends died for your lack of power. But don't worry - they'll be resurrected in time. My Moons-Eye plan will continue. You have changed nothing - only made it a little harder to proceed."_

_ "**Don't give in, Naruto**." Kurama. "**I've stopped the bleeding, but you can't give in! If he wins, it's all over!**"_

Naruto howled, the tone eerily reminiscent of the Kyuubi's roar. Hate, pain, anger. He took another step.

_It was dark. Water dripped quietly. The landscape was familiar - his mindscape, the jail of the Kyuubi._

_ "Kurama," Naruto said, quietly. "I'm sorry. I failed."_

_ "__**What happened to that monolithic determination I remember?" **__Kurama asked. "__**You aren't just giving up, are you?**__"_

_ Naruto chuckled. "I can be as determined as I want. It was all over once the ten tail was revived, even imperfectly. Once they got Killer B, the outcome was decided."_

_ "__**To think I'd hear you talking about decided outcomes,**__" the Kyuubi mused. _

_ "I'm going to free you. At least you can escape before I die. You'll be free at last."_

_ "__**Not free enough. His Sharingan hypnosis is powerful. I have no doubt I'll be overwritten by his impulses like last time.**__" Kurama's eyes narrowed. "__**There might. . . be a way.**__"_

_ "Name it," Naruto said, sudden hope flaring._

_ "__**At this point in time, you are dead. What remains is merely that - a remnant. I'm an immortal. It's possible for us immortals to resurrect. The seal - it ties me to you. As a remnant of the Shinigami, it is outside of time. I can use the seal to push your soul out, resurrect, then pull you back in."**_

_ "Sounds. . . complicated. What if it goes wrong?"_

_ "__**You could be stranded in Gehenna, to suffer for eternity."**_

_"Oh, well as long as it isn't anything major," Naruto said, grinning at the fox tiredly. "Do it."_

_ "__**Unseal me."**_

Naruto breathed in, then out. He was almost to the top. It was strange - he'd thought there were more stairs than that. He wanted to look down. The ball weighed as much as - as - well, more than anything he'd ever carried. It was no longer easy for him to move. He felt weighed down, far beyond what was normal for him.

**Don't drop the ball. Don't look down. Don't turn back.**

The last stair was a landing. He stepped onto it. The light shone from above, beckoning.

**Once you're through, I'll do the rest.**

He jumped, wondering how he could possibly move as heavy as he was.

Maybe it wasn't a matter of 'possible.'

Maybe it was because he had to.

oOoOoO **Advocate **OoOoOo

The sky tore, the space beyond inky and vast. Looking into it made Minato feel nauseous.

"What is this?" he asked, horrified, his hands in the process of forming the first suicidal seals. Kyuubi looked up as well, confused. Something white glimmered in the center.

_Stairs?_

They smashed into the Nine Tails with the force of a thousand wrecking balls. It flattened underneath them, pinned and angry. It thrashed, but was unable to move them nor reach its target.

A man walked down the stairs, carrying a bright blue ball. He was grinning, ear to ear, though Minato couldn't see his face.

"Who are you?" Minato asked.

"You may call me the Advocate of Destruction," he told him in a voice of such finality that Minato, hero of the Iwa war, flinched.

_So much life in this world,_ Advocate thought, fascinated. _If only I could bring some of that with me. Alas, the portals closing. _

"What do you want?" The yellow haired man asked.

"To stop the Architect of Higher Thought," Advocate said cheerfully. "But you wouldn't know him."

With a flick of his wrist, power coalesced and formed into an illusory spear that stabbed through the man and his - wife? - pinning them to the ground. An uneasy rumble came from the sphere.

"Oh, pipe down," Advocate said, scowling at it. "They'll be fine. It's time to do something about _you,_ though."

He neared the child, peering into its blue eyed, wailing depths. "This is the point of creation, huh. Well, who am I to decide." He tossed the sphere at the Kyuubi, who snapped at it and swallowed it like the greedy savage it was. It wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't - being a creature of pure life energy, it would have simply sunk in anyways.

"So you must be Kurama," Advocate said, looking into its red eyes. "It's a pleasure. I really owe you one. I wasn't looking forward to this world joining the blue belt. The Architect's stuck up as it is. However, I did promise to help that boy, so I'm afraid I'm going to seal you now."

The Kyuubi thrashed, its eyes maddened, but Advocate doubted it even understood what was going on. There was a subtle interweave of power that made up its thoughts, blending general malice with purpose. He put one hand on its head. The power that made him up flickered. Advocate frowned, concentrating. The world became light, became sound and energy. With that, he was inside the Kyuubi.

This creature was powerful. He wondered idly how the other seal had worked, then shrugged. If he was going to change things, he would change things his way. Besides, it had overloaded and been destroyed when Kurama had done his improvised gate to Gehenna, so it hadn't been that great anyways.

He stepped out, and walked over to the mother. Her eyes tracked him, glazed over with pain, somehow resisting his illusion. The other was the same way. The boys parents were too strong for their own good. If they'd gone unconscious, they could have saved themselves a bit of suffering. He reached down, and grasped the woman by the neck.

"This is going to hurt," he said, calmly. With that, his cells infiltrated and began their function - destroy, replace, repair. He let her go, the four marks on her neck standing out as she began to shriek. Mercifully, she moved into unconsciousness.

The blonde was beginning to fight his technique. He was stronger than the Advocate had thought. He needed to hurry.

The Kyuubi was fighting as well. The stairs lifted, then fell again. It growled.

_Supremely powerful,_ Advocate thought, impressed. Sealing wasn't his forte - he'd have to do something else. He grasped the Kyuubi's essence, feeling Naruto's come with it, and _pulled._ The entire mess flowed shrieking into his hand, Kurama's body slowly fading as he absorbed it. It would not be enough to simply put them inside the child's body. Advocate was already beginning to fade - he didn't belong here, and he was cut off from his source of power. The world was already rejecting him. He needed a host, and he needed it now, before the hole into his domain closed.

An idea glimmered. He grinned, and with a whirl of power, added himself to the orb. It slowly sank into the child, forming a strange, chaotic looking seal between four different elements. The stairs disappeared, the tear mending itself immediately.

oOoOoO **Minato **OoOoOo

The spear disappeared. Minato, suddenly able to move, was torn between immediately rushing to his child's side and checking on his wife, who was unconscious. Since Naruto was crying as lustily as ever, he elected to check on his wife. To his surprise, she was breathing easier. Black lines had etched themselves into her skin, reminding him unpleasantly of a sealing technique. They faded slowly as he watched.

"Who - no, _what_ was that?" Minato asked the night air, staring at his son and the visible seal. The shell of the man shaped hole in the air disappeared, leaving the faint echo of a laugh in its wake.

oOoOoO **Naruto**, **Mindscape **OoOoOo

"That's favor one, kid.

"I'm not a kid! And I never asked you to save them!"

Advocate chuckled. "You might not remember it, but the moment you saw them you were crying out 'save them! save them!' so pitifully I had to do something."

Kurama growled. "What are you? Where am I?"

Naruto sighed. "It's really crowded in here. Also, should he be outside of a cage?"

Advocate considered. "Probably not. He isn't quite tame, is he? Don't worry. I'll be the bars of the prison, and you can be the warden. Good luck, Naruto. To stop the Architect, you're going to need it."

Before Naruto could ask, he was banished into the oblivion of an infant's sleep.

oOoOoO **Minato **OoOoOo

The moment Minato saw him, Sarutobi actually _hugged_ him. It was so surprising, Minato actually froze for a second, unsure of how to react. By the time he regained the ability to move, the moment was over.

"The Kyuubi?" The former Hokage asked.

"Sealed."

"How?"

"Damned if I know. We'll talk about it later. We should focus on healing, rebuilding, and locking down our territory now."

Sarutobi nodded, agreeing with his priorities. "We were watching, but the barrier went dark. We couldn't see a thing."

"Later, I said. The village needs its Hokage. We must restore order, and there are people under the rubble. If there's one left alive, we need to rescue them." Minato hesitated. "Also, Hiruzen. . . send for Jiraiya."

Sarutobi nodded, and gestured to one of the two ninja's that had followed him. He disappeared without a word, doubtless returning to Konoha. Minato made a quick seal, and disappeared as well with his wife and son.

With them gone, Sarutobi stared at the ground. It hadn't immediately been apparent when they'd first entered the clearing, but the grass inside of the barrier was turning yellow at alarming speed. He bent down and plucked one. It was dying, and fast - a remnant of the Kyuubi's chakra? He frowned, considering, then shrugged. One more mystery for later. Without Minato's Hiraishin, it would take him a good twenty minutes to return to the village.

oOoOoO **Minato, Hokage's Office **OoOoOo

"I've never seen anything like it," Jiraiya mused. "I mean, it _looks_ like a seal, but it's so - _chaotic._ I don't understand the basic premise behind it, which worries me. Uzumaki seals all have the same basic design to disperse energy. This one runs on fundamentally different thought processes."

"Is it - dangerous?" Minato asked, unwilling to voice his true concerns.

Jiraiya heard them anyways. As expected of his sensei. "The interference between tailed beast and host should be minimal. I may not have heard of it, but the seal's damn strong. More worrisome is this enigmatic sealing master you just happened to meet in the forest. What village does he belong to? What are his motivations? There are too many questions."

"He didn't just happen to meet me," Minato said, shaking his head. "He was definitely there purposefully. Which means he knew what was going to happen. How or why I don't know, but I can't help but be grateful." He glanced down at his child, the smile pulling at his eyes.

Jiraiya nodded, though he was still suspicious. For a shinobi, miracles and coincidences became tricks and plots. Even so, he knew of no clan that could have done this, and no possible motivations outside of Konoha for the rescuing of the feared Yellow Flash.

He didn't like unanswered questions.

Just then, the door burst open. Minato had a kunai out in an instant, but it was only a Konoha chuunin. "Hokage-sama!"

"Yes?" Minato asked the woman calmly, his kunai still in hand if not held at the ready.

"Th-the hospital supervisor requests your presence," she said, gulping at the massive killing intent radiating from the man. "Sh-she wants to talk about Kushina-san."

"Jiraiya, can you watch Naruto for me?" Minato asked him.

"No masked enemy shall gain entry," Jiraiya boomed, taking a wide stance. "For I am Jiraiya, Sage of Toads, and I - hey! Don't just leave in the middle!"

Naruto giggled from his crib.

oOoOoO **Minato, Kushina's Hospital Room **OoOoOo

"What's wrong with her?" Minato asked, his tone set in what could only be called 'hospital voice.'

"We're not sure. Honestly, we're a bit out of our depth. She shouldn't have even survived the extraction. Since her status as a host is considered top secret, I can't even tell my assistants what to look for." Lazy. All of them. Minato gave the administrator of a doctor his best death glare, which was said to have Uchiha's running for their lives.

"Then look yourself. I don't care what you have to do, _save her._"

"Y-yes Hokage-sama." He cleared his throat. "Um - is there any chance we could get in touch with Tsunade?"

"There's more than a chance. If that _child_ of a woman doesn't return immediately, I'm going to drag her back myself," Minato said grimly. After the man left, Minato lowered his head to the Kushina's side.

_Kushina._

oOoOoO Authors Note OoOoOo

End chapter one. I must say, I'm having a ton of problems with the setting, more than I thought I'd have, so the AU is more of a precaution against continuity errors rather than a serious change-in-the-timeline notice.

Also, as you can probably notice, the Advocate isn't that great at either sealing or healing, but he does have some advantages. If you think he's going to be OP, well, wait till the Architect shows up. :-)

Also, last comment, I swear, I'm having severe format issues. Apologies for any errors that pop up. I blame format. -points fingers-


	2. 2 Possible Side Effects

Chapter 2 - Possible Side Effects

oOoOoO **Naruto **OoOoOo

Naruto flew up into the air, his eyes wide with shock, his arms grasping for purchase where there was none. He fell, hurtling towards the floor with shocking velocity, into Minato's arms.

"Upsy-daisy!" The man gushed, tossing him into the air again. His subordinates, by now used to what they called his 'baby-mania,' just averted their eyes with a sigh. It was strangely terrifying for Naruto, who had moved much faster in his life and in much worse circumstances. Still, he couldn't help but laugh. His annoying baby laugh. From his irritating high pitched voice

_Damn you Advocate!_ Naruto cursed mentally. _When you said side effects, you meant it!_

A chuckle echoed back.

Now three months old, Naruto was beginning to regain a little control. He could sort of wave his arms around a bit, and his hands could close even if he could barely move his fingers. It was a strangely humbling feeling, not being able to move your body the way you wanted. And the diapers - the horrible diapers!

Naruto shuddered. Noticing, Minato stopped tossing him and grinned. "Maybe you're a little young for that yet. It's crazy how _big_ you've gotten! I forget you're only a few months old sometimes!"

Naruto glared at him. Was he implying Naruto was short?

**You are short, Naruto,**Advocate said, smugly.

**And foul-mouthed,** Kurama commented.

**Shut up, dattebayo!** Naruto roared mentally. The seal this time was much weaker. He had the feeling that Kurama was not only able to talk to him, but able to read his mind when he wasn't on guard.

**Well, sorry for not being good enough,** Advocate grumbled moodily. **Next time I'll let ****_you_**** do it, see how that works out for you.**

**There's not gonna be a next time!**

Minato stared at his child curiously. Naruto popped back into reality and stared back at him.

"I swear, you have the strangest eyes," Minato murmured, peering into them. Naruto turned his head with a bored 'hmmph!'

"I do believe you've just been shunned," Jiraiya said, entering the Namikaze household. His clothes were dirty from the road, and he looked tired. To Naruto's annoyance, tears were running down his chubby baby face. He hadn't seen Jiraiya since . . . since. . . well, it had been a while. It was annoying when you couldn't focus your eyes well enough to read a calendar.

"I swear, he's going to be a brat when he grows up," Minato said, smiling at his child. "He already takes after Kushina. I swear, he cries if I look away for more than a second sometimes."

"Speaking of Kushina," Jiraiya said, grinning, "I have news."

"Did you find her?" Minato asked, standing quickly.

"In a gambling den, up to her eyeballs in debt. Practically wiped out my wallet getting her out. You seriously, seriously owe me one for this Minato. I'm talking about somewhere tropical, with bikini clad women and mixed bathing rooms." Jiraiya stared at the ceiling, a line of drool running from the corner of his mouth.

"Don't infect my child with your lecherous ways," Minato said, scowling at him and shielding Naruto from view. "Naruto, you musn't get involved with perverts like him."

Naruto nodded sagely. "Perwerts!"

Minato stared. Jiraiya stared. The ANBU agent on the outside of the doorway stared a moment.

"DAMN YOU JIRAIYA!" Minato howled, thwacking the man on the back of his head. "Look at what you've done now! I'm going to have to record in my baby book that his first word was 'perverts'! Kushina's going to murder me!"

"It's not my fault! Most children at three months only spout gibberish! Besides, aren't _you_ the one who said the word perverts, not me?!"

Naruto clapped, enjoying seeing the Sannin member and his father fight. It was strange, having a family. Even the loud parts were nice.

"Shut up! We're going to see Kushina now! When she wakes up, if my child says per- that word again, I'm going to let her murder you, got it?"

oOoOoO **Jiraiya** OoOoOo

Jiraiya shivered. Kushina was scary when she was mad. They didn't call her the Bloody Habanero for nothing. He considered the man's words. 'When' she woke up. Not 'if.' He smiled sadly, staring down at the child while Minato fussed with a child carrier. No one had ever survived tailed beast extraction in shinobi history. The fact that her body was still functioning was an unexplained miracle.

_I hope Tsunade can heal you. Minato needs you here. Your son needs you here. If you didn't wake up, he would shatter like glass. Konoha can't afford to have a shattered Hokage, not with the Iwa war still ongoing._

oOoOoO **Naruto, Kushina's Hospital Room** OoOoOo

Seeing his mother like this was a tragedy. It was even worse since he'd seen her before, both when he was taming Kurama and when they'd returned. She was so full of vitality then. Now, she simply - lay there. She wasn't as wasted as he expected. It was probably due to her heritage as an Uzumaki. Still, the feelings in his chest made Kurama stir deep within.

"Are you sure you want your son here?" Tsunade asked, not turning to look at Minato when he entered.

"The child has a right to see his mother," Minato said firmly.

She shrugged. "It's up to you. I'm only here because Jiraiya said Kushina was on death's door."

"She's been unconscious for three months. We still don't know what's wrong with her. We desperately need your expertise." His eyes were wide and innocent, his tone pleading. Naruto stared, mentally taking notes. His dad was an expert wheedler.

She sighed, pulling on a pair of gloves. "Let me see what I can do."

Naruto strained to keep his child-like mind on track. It was difficult. He kept trying to look at the ceiling, or the pretty lights, or the birds out the window. Training his eyes on his mother was exhausting.

"That's weird," Tsunade said, lifting up Kushina's left eyelid. "There are black dots in the schlera. Some sort of parasite?"

Advocate coughed. **Some sort of.**

**What did you do?** Naruto asked him, his tone deadly serious.

**She was dying,** he/she/it said plaintively. **Desperate measures were required. **

** What did you do? **Naruto asked again. Kurama stirred, one eye opening.

**I injected several of my cells to replenish her chakra and slowly wean her off youki. Like you'd do with a man addicted to opium. Who you locked in a cell with an IV he couldn't reach. **Advocate considered. **There's a better metaphor for that, I'm sure of it.**

** What's wrong with her now?** Naruto asked, less angry this time. It was impossible to stay angry at the Advocate. People called Naruto a big kid at heart, but in comparison Advocate was a toddler.

** If I had to guess, I'd say she's unconsciously restraining my cells from leaving her body. If you could just get a little closer. . .** Advocate wheedled.

"Ma-ma!" Naruto pleaded, extending his arms as far as he could. Minato stared at him.

"Did he just say - mama?" The Fourth Hokage asked, numbly.

Tsunade shook her head, amused. "He's about three months old, right? It's just baby talk. Children like to string together nonsense just to test their vocal equipment. It's a good sign, though. Means he's developing at the right speed."

"He said his first word today," Minato insisted. "It was full, too. Almost correct."

"Really?" Tsunade asked, her eyebrows rising. "That's unusual. Which word?"

". . . That's not important. The point is, he said it."

". . . Have you been cursing near the baby?"

"No, damn it - I mean, no - it was Jiraiya's fault, really!"

"You let _JIRAIYA_ near an infant?" Tsunade asked, horrified. "Are you out of your mind?"

Naruto had been set down while Tsunade and Minato argued. It was funny, really, how good he was at getting people to argue. It must have been some life skill he'd inherited from the other timeline.

Not the time to ponder. Naruto reached for the release on his child seat, pushing all the strength he could muster into pressing the latch. With a quiet click, it popped open. He shrugged his way out and crept stealthily across the table on weak baby arms and legs, behind an array of beakers, and onto a smaller desk. From there, he fell softly onto the bed next to his mother.

**Nice job. Good impro. Now, touch both sides of her neck.** Advocate advised.

Naruto did so. To his surprise, he could feel the woman's pulse. Baby hands, it seemed, had very sensitive nerves. He pondered this for a moment. As he did so, Advocate struck. A pulse of energy raced down his arms. If anyone had been watching, his seal would have lit up in glorious purple. Sudden heat blossomed in his chubby palms. With a strangled yelp, he fell backwards onto the covers, his hands red as if they'd been stung. The pain quickly faded.

Minato looked up at the noise, alarmed to note that his child was not only absent from his child carrier, but had apparently crawled across two tables of dangerous implements to reach his comatose wife's side. "Ahh! Naruto! What are you doing?" He cried, reaching out and scooping the child up. To his horror, the child seemed to have burned his hands on something.

Naruto teared up. He couldn't help it. This body just wanted to cry, cry cry. He would never be able to look Inari in the face again. To his horror, the tears seemed to break what fragile control Naruto had over his body, and he found himself bawling on his father's shoulder.

oOoOoO **Tsunade **OoOoOo

"Let me see him," Tsunade said, gently prying the child out of his bewildered father's hands. Lifting him in the air, she gave him a once over - no hazardous chemical spills, no bleeding wounds, just two very red hands. She sighed. Like mother, like son - both troublemakers. She set him down on the table, gently holding one of his hands. Green light emanated from her palm.

"Is he alright?" Minato had to ask, even though he knew it was annoying. Luckily, Tsunade had dealt with many a concerned parent in her days as a medic-nin.

"He'll be fine," Tsunade soothed, "they're just minor burns. Like a sunburn."

"Geez, I let him out of my sight for one moment, and this happens." Minato ran his hands through his hair, looking frantic.

Tsunade tuned him out as he began monologuing about the woes of fatherhood. There was something weird about the situation.

_The child was out of sight for only a couple of seconds. None of the burners are on, and they're all under the cabinet. None of the chemical bottles are spilled, so it's not a liquid soluble irritant, nor are there any gaseous irritants that have been left lying around. _ _If I didn't know better, I'd say this was a chakra burn._ Tsunade narrowed her eyes as the burns slowly vanished.

"There, all better," she said brightly, staring at the teary eyed child in front of her. For a moment, she thought she spotted gratitude, along with unusual intelligence. "Maybe you've got some of your father in you too, huh?"

"He does have the eyes for it," Kushina croaked from the bed.

Stunned silence followed.

"K-Kushina?" Minato gasped, rushing to her side and flinging his arms around her. "You're awake!"

"Don't talk so loud," she muttered, "I have the biggest damn headache. Were we at a bar or something last night? Why am I in the hospital?"

"Well, you sorta collapsed," Minato said, relief coloring his voice. "We weren't sure if you'd wake up."

Her eyes widened. Looking in her eyes, you could practically see her brain restarting as the memories flowed back in. "The Kyuubi! Naruto! The village! That masked man! What happened?"

"Easy there, easy, we can talk all you want, I'm not going anywhere," Minato soothed. "We have all the time in the world."

Unnoticed by anyone but his two snickering occupants, Naruto was crying again.

oOoOoO **Minato **OoOoOo

"So we still don't know for sure?" Minato asked Tsunade quietly, trying not to disturb his wife - or Naruto, who she was clutching to her chest.

"No. The black dots from her eyes have just vanished. It must have been a technique of some kind. Poisons don't generally work like that."

"Then, we should probably watch her a few days. Just to make sure she's alright." Minato nodded to himself. "I'll send a genin team to bring her some ramen every day for the next week. That'll cheer her up - she loves bossing genin around."

Tsunade chuckled. "That's definitely abuse of power. I'm sure of it. Besides, you aren't giving any of _my_ patients ramen. There's too much salt in it to be anywhere near healthy."

"Naruto loves it just as much as his mother!" Minato protested. "It would be cruel to keep it from him!"

Tsunade gaped. "You're feeding him solid food already?"

"No, well, not really." Minato admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "We were eating one day and I had to talk to an ANBU for a security assessment. When I turned back around, the little rascal was drinking out of my bowl. I don't know how he got out of his high chair that fast."

"He's going to be a troublesome toddler," Tsunade agreed.

They were silent for a moment, watching the mother and child sleeping soundly for a moment.

"Thank you for coming back," Minato said, very quietly.

"From what Jiraiya said, you were going to 'drag me back yourself' if I didn't," Tsunade said, the amusement a thin veil over real anger and pain. "And in the end - you didn't really need me."

"That's not true!" Minato protested. "The moment you came back, she woke up!"

"I had nothing to do with it!" Tsunade argued right back. "It was sheer coincidence! I hadn't even begun chakra replenishment for what the tests took from her!"

"If you didn't do it, who did? There are no coincidences in the shinobi world, Tsunade."

"Start talking like that and you'll turn into Sarutobi," she muttered, looking back at the mother and child.

_There are no coincidences. Chakra burns. The mother passed out on the night of his birth, then woke up when he touched her._ She shook her head. _Coincidence! Children don't know medical jutsu!_

"It has to be a coincidence," she said, so softly even Minato couldn't hear.

oOoOoO **Kushina, One Month Later, Namikaze Residence Pathway** OoOoOo

"That hospital food pisses me off!" Kushina said furiously, striding up the smooth, hard road. "Tsunade and her damn vitamin-rich meals 'tebayo!"

"If it helps, I did try to sneak you some ramen," Minato said, his face still bruised from where Tsunade had punched him.

"Yeah, well, I knew there was a reason I married you," she said, mollified. "Where's Naruto?"

"He's up at the house, playing with his toys," Minato said, smiling. "I wanted you to surprise him."

"Surprise him? You act like he's all grown up! He's only three - four months old?" There was more question in her voice than she'd like. Her voice trembled a little on the numbers.

Seeing his wife's distress, Minato smiled and, with a quick step, put his arms around her. She resisted for a moment, then sank into his embrace.

"What if - what if he doesn't recognize me?" Kushina asked, miserably. "What if I've missed that part of his life?"

"It's alright," Minato said into her hair. "I took him to visit you a lot, remember? Besides, he's four months old - there's plenty of time for you two to get to know each other."

"I just - I just - what if I'd missed his first word? His first step? I almost left him without a m-mother!" Her voice broke down at the end. It was lucky, at that moment, that she'd pushed her face into his chest to cry, or she'd have seen the rather guilty look on Minato's face.

"It's alright, Kushina," he said, running his hands through her hair. "You can do this. Come on."

He led her gently up to the doorway, pausing to disable the space-time wards. If she'd been in any reasonable state of mind, she would have whacked him for turning their house into a military fortress. As it was, she made do with stepping away from him and running a hand through her hair to straighten it.

"I'm ready," she said simply. Minato nodded and opened the door.

Naruto, who had been sitting at the door with a stuffed animal, turned away from it and squinted into the bright morning light.

Kushina's eyes betrayed her, filling with tears again. She took a step forward and stopped, her arms reaching out. "N-Naruto."

Naruto's eyes filled too. "M-mama."

"Naruto!" She yelled, flinging her arms around the child and whirling him in a laughing circle. Maybe she wasn't as unknown as she thought.

oOoOoO **Minato** OoOoOo

She missed the shocked stare of her husband, who this time knew for a fact that it was not a pair of random syllables. The kid was saying them over and over, crying into Kushina's shoulder as though he were a tiny faucet. Then again, she wasn't much better, though doubtless her nose was running less. He'd have to wash that dress later.

Minato scowled mentally. He was turning into some sort of domestic housewife.

"See? You got to hear his first word after all," Minato said, grinning. Jiraiya, who'd wanted to be there when Kushina got back from the hospital, raised a hand as if to say something. Minato elbowed him, knocking the air out of his lungs. "His _first word,_ got it?"

"Got it," Jiraiya wheezed, sitting down heavily on the couch. If Kushina didn't kill him, Minato probably would have just for interrupting their happy reunion.

_I can ask questions later,_ Minato decided. _For now, this is enough._

oOoOoOo

Authors Note

oOoOoOo

Too gooey? Naruto not growing fast enough? More Kurama action? Tell me what you think in your reviews, please ^_^

Also, don't expect me to update this quickly ALL the time. I just had some really good idea's is all. .

Last also, I swear, I don't have an editor yet, so if I mess something up PM me ^_^'


	3. 3 Baby Steps

Chapter 3 - Baby Steps

oOoOoO Naruto, Konoha Promenade OoOoOo

Naruto was a strong ninja.

The strongest.

Well, strongest living. Except for Obito, but he was weird and creepy, so he didn't really count.

The point was, he'd seen a lot of terrible things as a ninja. He'd cried his share of tears, shown his share of camaraderie, waded through his share of mud, and yet, strangely, none of that was quite so horrible as being unable to take care of oneself. It was a sobering thought, as he lay sat there in his mental landscape, that for the next couple of months he'd be an immature brat incapable of crawling to the bathroom.

**Weren't you always an immature brat?** Kurama asked. At least, he thought it was Kurama. Advocate had figured out how to emulate Kurama's voice, which was the source of endless entertainment. For him.

**Shut up you damn fox!** Naruto yelled.

**Hey! That wasn't me!** Kurama protested.

**It was me! That was the Advocate!** Kurama said angrily. Unless maybe they were all the Advocate, and Kurama had stayed silent the whole time.

It was enough to make ones head explode. Naruto scowled. He would not meditate, he would not try to mentally murder the voices in his head, and he would definitely not think about how much time he would have to spend around an immature jackass and a - well, Kurama was just a jerk, really, and annoyed at having to put up with a second jailer in the seal. Naruto could relate.

Forcing his will back into his body, he grasped the bars of his cage and pulled himself up. This was a predicament. It'd been an hour or so since he'd eaten. He could already fill the pressure growing. His room was directly across from the bathroom. If he could just get out -

Naruto worked at the bars furiously. Well, as furious as an eight month old baby could, anyways. It wasn't working - ninja craftsmen were no ordinary craftsmen, after all. Frustrated, he sat back down. There had to be a way! He wouldn't give up!

**If Hinata could see you now,** Kurama said, grinning.

**Damn it Advocate, I know that was you! Kurama doesn't know about Hinata!** Naruto paused, an arrested expression flitting across his face. **Wait, how DO you know about Hinata?**

**Well - you see - when I was editing your memories -**

**You spied on them? That's so - so - wrong!**

**Don't get your diaper in a twist,** Advocate said lightly.** You weren't waking up, and it wasn't like I could just immediately pick out what was hurting you. I had to scan a bit.**

**. . . How much is a bit?**

**Its just a bit.**

**. . . You're worse than Kakashi.**

**Oh yeah, I remember that! The team seven introductions!**

**THAT'S MORE THAN A BIT**. Naruto twitched a bit physically, a sign of his disturbed mental state.

**Should you really be worrying about me right now? Didn't you have some. . . pressing business?**

With a start, Naruto realized from the clock on the wall that it had been half an hour. Time flew when you were a child, though not fast enough. He didn't have enough chakra to break the bars, even if he was certain his puny body could withstand a punch without breaking something. The distance to the floor was also a factor - he couldn't just jump over it.

That left one option.

He focused, bringing out a little bit of chakra. The effort left him strangely weak, as if he hadn't eaten in days. He concentrated, working through it, and slowly, reluctantly, the chakra came. He reached out and stuck his foot to the bar.

With a loud crack, his foot was repelled, sending him into an ignominious tumble. If anyone had saw him, he'd have died of shame.

Chuckles echoed.

Weird, he thought, his full concentration on the bars. Water walking and wall walking were one of the first things he'd mastered. He'd done it exactly like he had last time he'd tried, and yet apparently he'd put too much chakra into it.

**You are a baby now, Naruto,** Advocate reminded him. **You must take your size into consideration. Half that would probably be enough. No, best go a quarter and go up. That way, you won't waste what little life energy you have remaining.**

That sounded reasonable. He did so, dredging up a tiny amount of chakra. His foot stuck, but barely.

I did it! Naruto cheered, then took a step. Keeping his body upright, however, was a different matter. Despite herculean effort, he fell.

That day, Naruto steamed in his mental landscape as Kushina, on diaper duty, changed his soiled garments and replaced them. No one noticed the cracked, faded wood of one of the bars, which seemed to have aged a hundred years in a second.

oOoOoO Minato, One Year Four Months Later, Hokage's Office OoOoOo

"I think it's about time I left, Hokage-sama," Tsunade said, her breath smelling of booze.

"This is the third time this week, Tsunade," Minato said, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "You know you shouldn't make decisions when you're drunk. Stay the night. Sleep off the alcohol. We'll talk again in the morning."

"But - " She slurred, anxious to argue. Minato, however, was tired of arguing with the famed 'Slug Princess' and extra tired of the way she filled the compartment with the smell of cheap sake.

"No buts," Minato said firmly, closing his ledger. "A ninja may not leave the village drunk. Go home, or back to your hotel room, wherever, but I have things to do tonight. There's a council meeting, for one, and I don't have time to argue with you."

Minato ushered her out of the door, crediting the alcohol with the fact that he managed to do so without getting a fist in the teeth. Alcohol inhibited a shinobi's ability to control chakra, and not only that, but control themselves. There was a reason it was prohibited for ninja's to get themselves blind stinking drunk. For Tsunade, a medic-nin, it was an insane risk. Something needed to be done, but he couldn't see what.

Minato sighed, leaning against the door, hoping that she'd go home this time instead of banging on it for an hour. Not that he'd be here. With a quick seal, he focused on a particular kunai in the council room. With a burst of chakra, the space around him bent -

And he was elsewhere.

The council was fully assembled already. He had been barely on time, after all. None of them would dare show less than full support for the Hokage, especially in war time with enemies present on all sides. Even Danzo was being circumspect with his criticisms.

The meeting proceeded as normal. The council, as always, attempted to interfere in the war, the academy, and the promotion of promising ninja prodigies. Most of their suggestions Minato disagreed with, but outright opposition was generally the most foolish course of action. In that situation, he would just say "I'll keep it under advisement," and the council would move on. Every now and then, someone actually came up with an interesting fact, or had a genuinely decent improvement.

Unlike what came up next.

"Yondaime-sama," Danzo said, his voice utterly respectful. Unlike his eyes. His eyes were a pit of darkness. "I must once again register my complaint against the disposition of our village's jinchuuriki."

"I would like to note," Minato said, his voice cold and dispassionate, "that this is the third time such a complaint has been registered, and that the first two have been answered and dealt with. Does the council have new facts with which to argue its case, or are you wasting our time, Danzo?"

A few of the council members winced at the ice in his tone, but Danzo stood his ground. "Iwa has long shown that its capable of underhanded and bloody tactics. You have, several times, destroyed the enemy single-handedly. They fear you, and your power. They will not strike at you from the front. At this point in time, it can be said that Iwa now recognizes both your son and your wife as legitimate targets. For this reason, we seek to move the jinchuuriki and his mother to a safer location, where they can be better guarded."

Minato stared at him, the anger in him boiling over despite his rigid control. "Are you possibly suggesting that I cannot protect my family?" Danzo moved to speak, but he cut him off. "Maybe you're saying that Konoha can't protect its own borders? I have a three man ANBU squad guarding my son at all times. I have Hiraishin seals planted all over my house, with seals that do nameless things to intruders. And before you complain, because I see you were about to do just that, about village resources wasted, my I remind you that your argument is to guard them more thoroughly?"

Danzo closed his eyes, the picture of humble acceptance. "I beg the Hokage only to consider my words, that he may act with wisdom greater than the impetuousness of his youth."

Minato's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "Impetuousness. Curious, how you spur me to greater action, and then criticize the results. I've compressed our training schedules to a third of their normal span, turning out new ninja at record speed. My instructors tell me that they are literally falling into bed, too exhausted to complain, all for the sake of the village. Believe me, if I let my 'impetuousness of youth' control my decisions, we would all be dead or ground under the boot of Iwa."

Danzo merely nodded. Something would need to be done about the man - Sarutobi argued for him often, but then, he was entirely too trusting. There was a time and a place for Danzo, and this was not it. As he watched the man contemplate quietly, eyes closed, Minato wondered if that time would ever come.

"If that's all for today, gentlemen, I have a birthday party to prepare for." Minato stood, heading for the door. "And, Danzo - the 'jinchuuriki' has a name. It's Naruto Namikaze. You will refer to him as such."

Danzo merely watched him leave, his eyes as inscrutable as ever.

oOoOoO **Naruto, Uchiha Compound **OoOoOo

Naruto sighed. Crayons had lost their appeal. All the kids around him were doodling, or throwing a ball, or something, but he was sitting there drawing. He'd never really had a birthday party before. At least, not one with people. By the time he'd reached Team Seven, he'd sort of 'grown out' of birthday parties. The Third Hokage was the last to really celebrate with him, and even he sent presents without spending too much time with the kid.

Truth be told, he'd totally forgotten the date. His first birthday party had been a giant surprise. Naruto was ashamed to admit it, but he'd spent much the time crying for no obvious reason. Luckily, that was par for the course at his age.

By two, however, he had much better control. Much better. He hadn't cried since, well, yesterday when he'd banged his head on a low table. Even then, it was more of an eye-watering thing than full on tears. He was practically grown up already.

**Not crying every day? Well, I guess we're ready to take on the Chuunin Exams**, Advocate said brightly.

"Oh, shut up," Naruto said grumpily. He loved being able to talk now. That was great. He could even move his fingers and toes again without concentrating for hours. And! And! No more diapers! He was finally toilet-certified!

Movement caught his eye. Naruto turned to look, just as a ball bounced off his nose. Resisting the urge to say several foul-mouthed things that would probably get him put in the 'naughty corner' once more, Naruto scowled at the - at the - very _familiar_ hair style.

"Watch where you're kicking that dattebayo!" He said angrily, rubbing his nose.

Sasuke scowled down at him, very obviously retracting an apology. "I'll kick it where I want to, idiot."

The two scowled at each other, but Naruto couldn't help but be a little happy. It might have come to blows – friendly blows - if another very familiar face hadn't intervened. Itachi, five years older than Naruto, reached down and picked his brother up by the back of his shirt. Like a dog would do to a rambunctious puppy.

"What are you doing to the birthday boy, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, scowling. Well, he was probably scowling. That might have just been his face.

Sasuke scowled at the ground. It was a scowl-fest all around. A thought struck him. Maybe all Uchiha's scowled as a permanent expression. Naruto had just thought Sasuke was naturally a grumpy person – maybe it was a family thing.

"It's not his fault," Naruto said, trying to break the tension. "I was just surprised."

"Yeah, we were just playing 'Tachi," Sasuke said, his acting skills fooling no one. The moment Itachi put him down, he stuck his tongue out at Naruto and made a stupid face. Naruto, a little pissed off that his olive branch had been ignored, made one back. A contest followed of extreme face pulling and insults.

**Yeah, you're so mature. Look at you, beating that two year old at 'who can make the stupidest face.' It must be some cunning strategy that you've devised.**

"Shut up you!" Naruto said angrily.

"No, you shut up!" Sasuke retorted.

"I'm not playing this stupid game anymore," Naruto said, doing his famed shun maneuver. "I'm way too old."

"You're younger than I am!" Sasuke said, furious. "My birthday was ages ago!"

"Maybe I'm just more mature then!" Naruto said, forgetting about his shunning technique. "I bet I can throw shuriken better!"

"You - you can throw shuriken?" Sasuke said, anger forgotten. "Mom got super angry when I touched her shuriken. I wasn't allowed to leave the compound for a week!"

"Maybe my parents are just better than yours," Naruto said slyly. Here was something he'd never been able to use growing up, for two very good reasons - one, he hadn't had any, and two, neither had Sasuke by the time he met him. Honestly, he felt like a jerk the moment the words came out of his mouth.

"My mom's the greatest!" Sasuke said, angry again. "And my dad's Fugaku, the clan head!"

"My dad's the Hokage," Naruto argued back. "Also, my mom's a shinobi from Uzu!"

And so it was that the first birthday party for Naruto that he could fully participate in was spent arguing with his eternal rival about the strengths of their respective parents.

oOoOoO **Minato** OoOoOo

He chuckled. Fugaku looked at him, confused, then spotted the two children. "Ah. It appears our children have discovered each other. That Sasuke, he's usually very with other children."

"Naruto has a particular skill - he can get under anyone's skin," Minato said, smiling. "For good or for ill."

"Your lady wife is much the same. I can't help but notice her absence."

"Kushina had an appointment today that she had to keep," Minato said, ambiguously. "So, shall we move to business?"

"I thought there might have been a reason you asked me to host the party," Fugaku said, his eyes suspicious. "It was. . . highly irregular."

"It is my hope that it will become more commonplace in the years to come. Tell me, Fugaku, where do you see yourself in ten years?"

"I imagine in the same place we've always been," the Uchiha head said slowly, drawing his words out.

"Really," Minato said dryly. Fugaku flinched slightly. "There have been. . . reports."

"Reports, Hokage-sama?"

"Please, call me Minato. I imagine we're going to be seeing quite a bit of each other soon enough."

" . . . I apologize. I do not understand what you are referring to."

"Kumogakure is considering peace."

For a moment, the words didn't register, then Fugaku practically exploded out of his chair. "Impossible! It's some sort of trick - it has to be! The Raikage vowed vengeance upon us when his niece was killed in the Land of Grass!"

"Calm down, Fugaku," Minato said, gesturing for him to sit down. A few of the children had turned to look. After a moment, they went back to playing. "Perhaps this isn't the right setting. I merely wanted to broach the topic to allow you to. . . consider. . . the ramifications. The Uchiha are a vital part of the villages defense, after all. Your input would be greatly appreciated. I've proposed to the council that you be allowed as a guest speaker."

"I am honored, Lord- " Fugaku caught himself. "Minato-san. I shall begin preparing my speech immediately."

The Uchiha head stood, bowed, and left. Minato watched him go, a predatory gleam in his eye. That would have to do - a subtle tip of his hand, alluding without acknowledging the unrest his agents reported while at the same time throwing them a chance to recover lost influence. He'd attempted to quiet the rumors about them being behind the attack, but he suspected they were deliberately being fostered by the Hyuuga. The two clans fought like cats and dogs over the slightest scrap of political power.

Speaking of the Hyuuga. . . He smiled slightly as a dark haired girl around Naruto's age walked into the compound, holding her fathers hand timidly.

"Hiashi!" Minato said, waving. The Hyuuga waved back, walking over and taking up the seat Fugaku had vacated. He lifted his bangs. "Oh, sorry Hizashi. You two really do look alike."

"Without the seal we'd be identical," Hizashi said, smiling despite the flash of pain and resentment in his eyes. Minato doubted any branch family member was really at peace with their fate, but he was fairly certain Hizashi cared more about his son than himself.

"Well, it's still my bad," Minato said, leaning back. "Still, the invitation was sent to Hiashi and his daughter, so you can't blame me for making the mistake."

Hizashi glanced down at Hinata, who was doing her best to melt into the floor. "Ah, well, you see, Hiashi-sama was forced to take part in a clan meeting, but didn't want Hinata to miss out on the birthday party."

Minato's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "I see. Perhaps we'd better introduce them, then?"

Hizashi nodded, bringing the Hyuuga heiress to meet Naruto. To Minato's surprise and amusement, Naruto immediately threw his arms around her neck.

_Already going to be a heartbreaker, I see,_ Minato thought, smiling at Hinata's obvious distress. He wasn't blind, nor was he dumb. As a student of Sarutobi, he'd like to think he'd taken the best parts of the Third's reign and enforced a little more. . . discipline. It was obvious what Hiashi was planning, and if he thought Minato, much less Kushina, was going to arrange a marriage (a common practice between ninja families) between his barely-out-of-infancy son and the Hyuuga's equally young heiress, he was sorely mistaken.

Then again, maybe he was getting ahead of himself. Minato sighed, taking a sip of the tragically non-alcoholic fruit drink. Hiashi might just be throwing out lines, hoping to land a big fish. Friendship with the Hokage's son was generally a positive influence for ones family.

"Sometimes," Minato said, sighing again, "I hate being Hokage."

oOoOoO **Naruto, 13 Months Later** OoOoOo

Naruto gathered chakra, then let it out. With a satisfying _whoosh_, the bluish, barely visible energy scattered into the air above his palm. It was getting less and less difficult to pull it out, but he still couldn't move a tenth of the chakra he could at his peak. The rasengan was a far off dream at this moment.

"Why isn't this working?" He asked, frustrated.

**You shouldn't talk to yourself. Sets a bad habit.** Advocate again. Kurama didn't talk as much. Advocate, however, always had a snide comment prepared.

**I'm not talking to myself if there are two people listening!** Naruto rebutted.

**Sure you were. Well, to answer your question, remember how chakra is formed. There's **_**shintai**_** chakra, which is the power of the body, and **_**seishin**_** chakra, which is the power of the soul. Your **_**shintai**_** chakra is pathetic. Your **_**seishin**_** chakra, however, is astounding. The imbalance between body and mind is manifesting in chakra disturbances. Simply put, until your body catches up with your mind, you won't have perfect control, or even adequate control.**

**You know,** Naruto mused, **I thought lectures were bad when I was in the academy. When its in your head, its a lot, lot worse.**

**Such a brat,** Advocate muttered from a corner of his mind, obviously retreating.

Naruto scowled down at the sand. He couldn't use ninja techniques. His physical prowess was pathetic, because he was three. Illusion techniques were out as well, for the same reason as ninja techniques were.

"This really sucks," he muttered, irritated. "Without any techniques, how am I supposed to do anything? What else is there but - "

An idea struck him. He grinned.

OooOoO Naruto, a month later OoOoOo

He didn't know if the timing matched up. He knew the kidnapping happened soon after the peace treaty. Still, surveying the Hyuuga compound was more difficult than he'd thought it would be. Between Kushina, Minato, and his ridiculously small bladder, he'd had a lot of trouble just sneaking out of the house. Luckily, shadow clones required less control than most other techniques. He was able, after much sweating, to squeeze out enough chakra to create one, which he left sleeping in his bed.

Still. . . to defeat the head ninja, there was little he could do. Even the shadow clone, a technique easy as breathing to the older Naruto, took ten minutes to create. Besides, another three year old would hardly defeat an experienced jounin.

That was where his trump card came in.

Naruto sat, meditating quietly, seeking the ebb and flow of nature he'd learned on Mount Myoboku. His chakra levels were high – in fact, even with his low physical chakra, they were close to normal. They were easily powerful enough, if he could move it through his tiny little conduits. It would take some modification, but. . .

Power flowed and ebbed around him. He bent and formed it, slowly, surely, and it came to him. He matched it to his own levels, felt it rising like a tide, then stopped drawing it in. Life flowed through his every vein. He felt. . . good. The seal on his stomach writhed a little, then was still. He could feel the Advocates presence, like a tiny hole in the worlds natural order, devouring external chakra to feed its existence.

"So it worked after all," Naruto muttered, staring at his hands. He felt. . . mature. It was like being a child physically made you one mentally as well. Sage mode brought a strange sort of peace to his mind, allowing his true self to shine through more easily. He formed the appropriate signs. "Transform!"

With the natural chakra flowing through him, the technique went off smoothly. He was imitating someone he knew wouldn't be questioned for assaulting a diplomat. Someone who was definitely not a member of Konoha. Someone who would be noticed, and who would be easy to blame.

And so, if anyone had been hanging around the Hyuuga household in the dark hours between midnight and one, and they had a very, _very_ keen eye for hidden ninja, they might have seen Hoshigaki Kisame lurking in a dark corner deciding whether it was safe to use the bathroom or if he'd better wait.

oOoOoO Naruto OoOoOo

It took two days for the 'head ninja' to take the bait. After the first night, Naruto revised the plan to include his sudden chakra control. This time, using sage mode as a sort of counterbalance, Naruto made two clones - one to sleep in his bed, and one to pose as a young Hinata, stumbling about the near the Hyuuga compound and seemingly unable to find her way home. Twice, his clone had hidden to avoid Konoha ninjas or patrols, but soon after Naruto detected a chakra source he hadn't before observing the child meander her way down the street.

Naruto waited. The head ninja had to make the first move. _Was it, perhaps, a bit too obvious?_

Apparently not. The man struck, hitting the clone – who managed to partially dodge the already non-lethal blow, turning it into a mere tap – and carrying the apparently 'unconscious' child with him as he moved back to the rooftops. Naruto grinned.

It was the next day before the clone dispelled, having run out of chakra. True to Naruto's commands, the clone had stayed entirely silent, merely observing without acting, until it had eventually become so weak that the jumping motion of the ninja under it had disturbed the fragile overlay of chakra that made up its outer shell, and it exploded. Not fatally, of course, but the smoke and slight concussion confused the jounin and caused him to, most embarrassingly, miss his next jump.

Naruto, in the meantime, was laughing. On the inside. His father, no longer trusting him home alone after having caught the child playing with shuriken, had taken him to a council meeting and left him kicking his heels in the waiting room outside. He idly wondered whether the head ninja would remain head ninja after he'd failed so spectacularly.

oOoOoO Minato OoOoOo

As it turned out, the delegation from the Village Hidden in the Clouds had left that morning, and no one knew why. According to their schedule, they were slated to stay for Konoha's annual New Years Feast. Still, Minato was glad to have them gone. Their presence had mandated an Anbu presence at all times, discretely following each member as they moved around the village. Still, their departure didn't bode well for the alliance.

"Has the Raikage sent word?" Minato asked, pacing behind his chair.

"No, Lord Hokage," Kakashi said, his face masked and his voice neutral. Minato could still tell it was him, though. A teacher always knows his students.

"That could be either good or bad," Danzou muttered. "I for one dislike not knowing."

Minato nodded, along with the pair of councilors and the two civilian advisers. "I've had another report from the Sand. Rock ninja have been sighted moving through Grass Country. Estimates say about an eight-man team."

"Eight?" Danzou said, narrowing his eyes. "That's the general number for one of their infiltration missions. Generally, four assault directly and four strike from behind."

"In this case, we can't be sure," Homura said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "We're still technically at war. They could strike directly at the village."

"A summoning technique?" Koharu said, curious. "It would need to be awfully complex."

"Possible," Minato admitted, "but this is probably a probing strike. They have yet to test our defenses since the Nine Tails tore a hole in them. They'll most likely infiltrate, reconnoiter, strike a target of opportunity, and retreat."

"Perhaps we should strengthen the guards around the jin - " Minato glared at Danzou " - apologies, around Naruto."

"If the Village Hidden in the Rock were to acquire him, it would be perilous on multiple levels," Koharu said, her tone cautious. Supporting Danzou was an uncommon position for her in the council room.

"I agree," Minato said mildly. "I'll set Dog as an additional guard. He should be in the waiting room outside."

Kakashi nodded once, then disappeared. Minato winced. He hadn't meant that Kakashi should leave _right_ that moment. The man had been carrying important documents.

"Still," Danzou said blandly, "with the Raikage unresponsive and the Village Hidden in the Clouds' stance on our alliance unknown, it would be wise to increase patrols in general. I'm thinking of sending Anbu pairs twenty-three and twenty-eight on extended patrols near Grass and - "

Minato let the words flow past him, his head in his hands. _Kakashi, why did you leave without giving me my notes?_

oOoOoO **Authors Note **OoOoOo

The story should start picking up around here. Iwagakure, not placated by Sarutobi, is considering more expansive military actions. Kumogakure, feeling like they've been out-manipulated or at least out-spied, is withdrawing to to some internal housekeeping. Konoha, under Minato, is much more focused and less chaotic than it would have been if there'd been a change in administration. The Uchiha are unlikely to revolt with Minato as leader, though the Curse of Hatred is still going strong and will need to be dealt with. The biggest change, however, is Naruto. Sarutobi, feeling it was best to the village, revealed in the original timeline to jounin and above that Naruto was the Kyuubi's container. Minato, feeling more protective, revealed it only to the council and select members of Anbu such as Kakashi, Yamato, and Jiraiya, plus the three man team guarding him from the shadows (of whom one is Yamato.) So, people see Naruto only as the Hokage's son now.


	4. 4 The Pawns Move

Chapter 4 – The Pawns Move

Author's Note -

If its in bold, its a mental communication. Note, if they're actually in mindscape, its not bolded.

If its italics, its a thought.

Just clearing that up.

oOoOoO **Naruto, 1 month later** OoOoOo

Naruto didn't see them until it was too late.

One moment he was walking down the street, the next he was under someones arm. Too shocked to attack, he was instantly struck on the back of his neck. Barely clinging to consciousness through sheer willpower, he opened his eyes.

_Impossible,_ Naruto thought, staring upwards. _This mans' from Cloud – I remember him from the Shinobi Alliance. Then, they're trying this _again?

"Target acquired," the man said, speaking into his chakra radio. Naruto strained to hear the response.

"We've got the three jounin," a voice replied. Naruto blinked. It was familiar, but who - ?

A man stepped out in front of them as they ran down the alley. He wore the standard Anbu uniform, and a dog mask.

_Kakashi!_

Naruto's enthusiasm at seeing his savior was short lived. Seven members of Rock – these with their headbands on – appeared around him, kunai at the ready.

"How did you all get into the village?" Kakashi asked, his voice calm despite the overwhelming odds. "We were tracking all eight of you the whole way here."

_No, Kakashi, this one's not a Rock ninja -_

"We had a little help," the man carrying Naruto said, shifting his burden slightly. This seemed to be a signal. The other seven members rushed forward. With one quick movement, Kakashi jumped straight up in the air and uncovered his Sharingan.

The moment he'd cleared the alley walls, the eighth and last member of the Rock team made his appearance in a hail of shuriken. The barrage impacted Kakashi at the highest point of his jump, where there was nowhere to dodge.

"Kakashi," Naruto muttered, horror fighting the daze he was in. They must have poisoned him at some point. He couldn't think straight. His eyes closed. Without the Nine Tails, he suspected he'd be entirely unconscious.

The sound of wood hitting the ground energized him. _Substitution!_

Screams from the enemy ninja. Lots of cursing, interrupted occasionally by the sound of blood splattering. It was difficult to even hear for Naruto at this point.

Something exploded. Naruto strained with all the chakra in his body, and managed to open his eyes. Kakashi was stranding directly in front of him, a bloody kunai in his hand. His clothes were ripped and torn, and his other arm was leaking a steady trail of blood onto the ground.

"Put the child down," Kakashi said coldly, raising his Kunai, "and I promise, your death will be swift."

"You Leaf shinobi," the man muttered, "are the worst at negotiating. You should have said you'll let me go, and then kill me anyways."

"I meant I'd kill you before Ibiki started heating the irons."

Impossibly, the man chuckled. "Hah. I'd hoped I wouldn't have to use this last trump card. I don't like being in debt to such a shady ally, but oh well." He raised his hand, then made a fist.

Five Leaf Anbu zoomed in. For one wild moment, Naruto thought he was saved.

Then he saw the 'Ne' symbol on their masks, and the blood drained from his face.

"Danzō," Kakashi said, a mirror of Naruto's thoughts. "You helped foreign ninja into Konoha? Minato will - "

"Never know," the strikingly familiar voice said, emanating from the shortest member. This time, Naruto recognized it. "It is in the village's best interests to continue the peace between Leaf and Cloud. The Uzumaki chakra will be beneficial in Cloud's Jinchuuriki programs."

_Kabuto was a member of Root? This day cannot get any weirder._

**I see,** Advocate muttered. **Its overcomplicated, but then, from what I can see, Danzo has always been fond of scheming.**

**What?** Naruto asked. It was easy to talk now, with his body so close to unconsciousness. **What's he after?**

**Consider. Cloud gets you. Rock has their revenge by assisting with your kidnapping, claiming all credit. Both villages have their bloodlust momentarily slaked. My seals next to invisible, and impossible to decipher. It doesn't even look like a seal, really. Cloud attempts to implant the eight tails in you, disrupting my prison and freeing the Nine Tails **_**inside**_** their village, along with the Eight Tails. Even if the two battled each other into oblivion, they'd totally wreck everything. To Danzo, such a treacherous peace offering is to be expected. **The way Advocate said it, Naruto could almost forget about the thousands of Cloud ninja that the two Tailed Beasts would slaughter. **Cloud is incredibly weakened, both politically for breaking their peace treaty and militarily for being utterly crushed. Rock on the other hand is no doubt being utterly crushed by your enraged father. In one stroke, Danzo virtually annihilates Cloud and forces a massive military strategy change that Minato would never agree to otherwise.**

**That's - **Naruto's words failed him for a moment.

**Insane. Risky. Bold – perhaps overconfident. **Advocate hesitated. **It has _him_ written all over** it.

oOoOoO **Kakashi** OoOoOo

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, grateful for the mask. The would-be ninth kidnapper was no match for him, that was for sure. He looked like another one of the other sides sub-par Jounin. Even injured, Kakashi could destroy him with no real hardships. The five Root members on the other hand. . .

Without a word, or even hand talk, three swept in as one. Their kunai's flashed as they slowly inched towards him. The Sharingan watched it all, slowing the thrusts down for him almost before they did it.

_I can't win this,_ Kakashi realized. _The five of them have good teamwork and seem experienced, and unlike the Rock ninjas they have up to date information on my abilities. _

He cursed. "Sorry Minato," Kakashi said, and flung the smoke bombs. They erupted underneath him, causing the Root ninjas to jump backwards in case of a sudden counterattack. When the smoke cleared, however, there was no one there.

oOoOoO **Naruto **OoOoOo

The village needed to be alerted. Kakashi had to get reinforcements. He definitely hadn't abandoned him. Naruto paced in the seal room, having been injected – again – with some sort of sedative. Advocate was silent, perching in the corner on top of a wooden pillar that hadn't been there before. Kurama was sleeping, like normal. Naruto wondered if he could safely use Kurama again, like he had before.

"Damn it," Naruto muttered, kicking at the water. He wished he could move, could enter Sage Mode, could use a technique, but no – his tiny body didn't take much poison to shut down.

"We're just going to have to wait," Advocate said, his voice reasonable as always. Naruto didn't like looking directly at him – studying the flickering, pitch black void that made up his figure made him sick. "Minato's a genuine Papa Bear, and I don't doubt Kushina's going to be ripping heads off before the days over."

Naruto nodded. "It was dumb of them to even try. I mean, what do they think would happen, kidnapping the Hokage's son in the middle of the village?"

"Um," Advocate said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "It does seem to have a very low probability of success. Unless. . ."

Naruto waited, but Advocate had this thing about finishing thoughts. "Look, I told you, not ever other sentence has to end in a cliffhanger. Just tell me what you're thinking already!"

Advocate sighed. "If they infiltrated the village, grabbed you, and Danzo's made a play, I can only surmise that they believe Minato and Kushina will be unable to follow."

Kurama stirred, opening one lazy eye to watch them.

"_Unable?_" Naruto asked, horrified. "You think Danzo - ?"

"Maybe. . ."

oOoOoO Kakashi OoOoOo

"_Taken?_" Minato asked, horrified.

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Kakashi said, still panting from the exertion of the chase. His nigh-indestructible mask had cracked and shattered long ago, a testament to the power of the Root ninja that had pursued him. They'd stopped when he reached the tower. "There were representatives from Stone, Cloud, and Root present."

"Danzo," Minato hissed furiously. "He's gone insane!"

"I don't understand his motivations either," Kakashi said, leaning against the wall, "but they were wearing Root Anbu masks."

Minato made a hand sign. He looked down, then made the hand sign again. "Damn it. My Hiraishin is blocked off. They must have disabled the seal I put on Naruto's clothes somehow. We'll have to follow the old fashioned way."

The door slammed open. The messenger, who was wearing Hyuuga clan colors, immediately froze at the feel of a kunai against his neck. Minato, who'd reacted instantly, was standing behind him.

"Report," the Fourth said curtly.

"Its terrible, Lord Hokage!" The messenger spouted, recovering from his brush with near beheading. "Lady Hinata has - "

The door opened again, revealing the heads of the Nara and Yamanaka clans. "Lord Hokage! Foreign ninja are moving through Grass and Hot Water!"

"How many?" Kakashi asked, wincing as he straightened.

"Our border town on Grass reports fifty Stone, several of which are Jounin." Shikaku said. "I've taken the liberty of reporting it to Sand."

"My sources in Hot Water say thirty or forty Stone nin have been sighted moving west," Inoichi reported. "They're moving fast, and the border town isn't responding. If nothing stops them, they could be here in a couple days."

"That's - " Kakashi's words seemed to fail him.

"The continuation of the third war," Minato said, grimly. "And the start of the fourth."

oOoOoO Authors Note OoOoOo

Sorry for the long period between releases, this one's a bit short but the contents good, so I'll put this down and start working on the next one immediately. Lots of stuff happened, and a bunch of pieces are moved. The plots definitely going somewhere, and there will be reasons later for all the non-canon stuff because this is definitely going into AU territory ;)

PS – All those wondering, we're probably going into NaruHina. I'll update the story description. Expect to see more Kurama in the next chapter.


	5. 5 An Uncaring Hand

Chapter 5 – An Uncaring Hand

oOoOoO **Minato** OoOoOo

"Kakashi, don't be an idiot, you're in no condition to fight," Kushina said, holding him back. It was a measure of his injuries that she actually succeeded in leading him to the temporary medical shelter set up in the academy building.

An explosion echoed from behind her. Minato cursed. "We have a breach in the Eastern section. Anbu squads seven and twelve, report to the Eastern gate."

_Damn you Danzo,_ Minato thought furiously. He couldn't pursue Naruto and the Hyuuga heiress because of the incredible number of enemy ninja. Root, slavish to Danzo's orders, had turned coat without a fuss. No doubt the few that objected had quietly disappeared. _Why? You've always been a bastard, but you've been Konoha's bastard. Why would you become a traitor _now_?_

An explosion answered him. He turned, feeling fragments of building ricochet off his deceptively armored coat. A Root operative tried to slip past him at extreme speed. Minato killed him on reflex, dragging a kunai across his inner arm and severing a large artery. The man sagged slowly, falling to the ground from sheer loss of blood. The mask fell, revealing a man from Konoha's hospital.

Minato flinched, then closed his eyes briefly in a prayer for the dead. His face in death wasn't scared, or angry, or even regretful – it was just resigned. "Sarutobi," he whispered, "find my son."

oOoOoO **Sarutobi Hiruzen** OoOoOo

Unlike the other members of Minato's council, Sarutobi couldn't believe it. Danzo would never betray the village – this had to be an enemy plot of some sort. Yet, the third time he was ambushed by Root, he had to admit that the situation did look bad.

The trees flew by at a rapid pace. His legs may be old, but they could move when he needed them to, and he'd never needed to move faster than he did today.

Another ninja fell in next to him. Hizashi Hyuga's face was grimly determined, as if expecting Sarutobi to reprimand him for leaving his post. Instead, the former Hokage just nodded at him. The battle ahead was going to be dangerous. To retrieve Minato's son, he'd need all the firepower he could muster.

oOoOoO **Naruto** OoOoOo

It was dark. The constant drip of water reminded him forcibly of the Kyuubi's cage. It was not a pleasant recollection – before, he'd been terrified of the dank room it had lived in. Now, the conditions of the room his former friend had lived in infuriated him. Naruto opened his eyes a crack without changing his breating. He was surrounded by ninja – all of whom looked like jounin.

Naruto cursed. Advocate winced mentally, but kept silent. If he gathered nature energy, they would notice. Still. . .

He reached for nature. It still felt strange, way more difficult than the easy way it had flown into him in his past life, but he could still feel -

The sharp burning on his wrists cut him off. He yelped, more in surprise than pain. Instantly, the jounin alerted.

"See?" The man on his left was grinning. The scar over his left eye made him look distinctively villainous. "I told you it was a good idea to put chakra seals on him."

"What's he going to do? Make a clone?" Another retorted.

"You never know, he might have a seal on him he could activate."

"Enough," the third called, "that Root bastard wanted us to bring the kid to him when he woke."

"Hinata," Naruto said suddenly, "where is she?"

"You don't need to kn - " He cut off with a yelp as Naruto sank his teeth into the unwary hand that reached for him. "Damn you, you little brat!"

With a quick swat, Naruto went flying into the rocky wall. Luckily, he was cushioned by a stupendous amount of grimy moss. All breath left his lungs. He sat there, choking silently, tears running down his face, as two of the ninja held the angry one back. Finally, he seemed to calm down, and a different one grabbed Naruto and slung the dazed boy over his shoulder. To Naruto's dismay, he was unable to muster the control to bite the ninja again.

The room they entered was, well, another part of the cave system near Konoha. It was fitting, really, that Rock village would attack from underground. This cavern was, well, cavernous. It could have comfortably fit a large house, with yard and garden. The walls were tell-tale smooth, speaking of Earth techniques used to shape it, and they were covered in seals.

That wasn't the most remarkable thing, though. The most remarkable feature was the people standing in it.

Danzo smiled at him malevolently. "The jinchuuriki at last."

He wanted to say something. Something witty like 'bite me, one eyed freak' but he was unable to muster the strength, and it came out something like 'murbl ghurbl' which was hardly intimidating. Danzo frowned down at him.

"I ordered him to be untouched," Danzo said, glaring sternly at the man who brought him. The ninja paled and started stammering. Not a Root member, then. From Rock maybe? "Leave. Now. Before I change my mind, and use your blood for a sealing ritual."

The ninja fled. Naruto stared with narrowed eyes at Danzo and the two Root ninja that remained. "You must be out of your mind, Danzo," Naruto said, recovering his voice at last.

The statement seemed to amuse him. He looked down at the jinchuuriki, his eye patronizing. "How so?"

"If I don't kill you, my father will," Naruto said in tones of absolute certainty.

"I have nothing to fear from such a tiny brat," Danzo said, "and Minato will be occupied for quite some time."

Naruto frowned. There was something. . . wrong. "This move is way too rash. You must know we'll win, and when we do, you'll never be welcome at the village again."

"I. . . no. . ." Danzo's uncovered eye shone for a moment, turning bright blue. "As always, I do what I must for the prosperity of the village. I'm going to permanently cripple Rock and Cloud. Sand has been diminishing lately in terms of combat strength. Soon, Fire will reign supreme. The sacrifice of my life is nothing."

Advocate hissed. Even Naruto could tell that these words weren't his own. His accent and inflection had changed, becoming flatter, duller, as if repeating words told to him. He looked at the two Root ninja, but their eyes glowed the same way.

**Emotional and thought suppressants,** Advocate said calmly, though Naruto could feel the slow boil of fury in his other world. **They've been, for want of a better term, brainwashed.**

**Then this is . . .?**

**Right. This is the work of my brother, the Architect of Higher Thought. **The way Advocate said the name told Naruto a lot about his family dynamics. **Naruto. . . I'm going to need a favor.**

**Name it.** There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that without the Advocate, he wouldn't escape this situation.

**Let me out.**

**OooOoO Itachi OoOoOo**

The enemy were few in number. That was the inevitable conclusion that came to him. Logically, if they'd had a larger force, the initial ambush would have been far deadlier. A sound strategist would have struck with everything offensively, if only to do the greatest amount of damage. Despite the initial panic over the attacking Rock and Cloud ninja, Itachi's Sharingan had informed him that each Cloud ninja was a member of the diplomatic delegation, which meant -

Itachi's thoughts cut off as he evaded a kunai. He replied with a quick fireball, incinerating the street. The unidentified nin let out an agonized scream before collapsing.

The reason the attack was doing so much damage was simple - most of Konoha's forces had been concentrated on the walls, waiting for enemy ninja to attempt to slip over. When Root had attacked from within, they were caught entirely unprepared, especially when Root sleepers emerged amongst supposedly trustworthy jounin.

In fact, Itachi might be considered one of those sleepers. If he'd been so inclined.

As it stood, their forces had been redeployed around the hospital and academy. The students were being evacuated to the deeper, safer cave structures under the Hokage monument. The hospital had no such luxury. Many patients couldn't be moved. Minato himself was watching over the battlefield relief tents, revealing and slaying enemy infiltrators. Itachi's job was to be very, very good bait.

His thoughts broke off yet again when he spotted the back of a very familiar head. "Sasuke!"

The younger Uchiha flinched, turning slowly to meet his elder brother's furious Sharingan. "Y-yo, Itachi!"

"What are you doing in the middle of the battle?" Itachi said, his cool voice snapping like the crack of a whip. "You could have been killed!"

"B-but mother was sent to the hospital!" Sasuke protested, "I had to see - "

"You should have stayed in the compound - " Another ninja turned the corner, wearing a Konoha headband and a chuunin vest. "Password?" Itachi asked curtly.

"Daytime tiger," the chuunin responded, keeping his hands raised. Itachi nodded. The man extended a scroll. As Itachi reached for it, Sasuke yelled.

There was no killing intent. No warning. Root ninja could perfectly mask their attacks by suppressing all desire to kill their enemies, making them extraordinarily effective assassins and spies. If it wasn't for Sasuke's warning, Itachi would have died. As it was, he flung himself to the side. The blade which should have removed the top part of his skull instead cut a thin track of blood above his left eye.

The chuunin wasn't so lucky. The blade – which didn't actually _reach_ the chuunin – cut his head off. A wind technique and a chakra sword, then. Itachi surveyed his opponent. The man was obviously Root, as the sword bore Konoha watermarks. His face was emotionless – as mask-like as the Anbu gear.

"Another one of Danzo's minions," Itachi said, calmly wiping the blood out of his left eye. He cut off chakra to the site, an old Anbu trick to stem the flow of blood from small wounds. Long term, it would cause tissue damage, but without the use of his left eye in the short term he could end up dead.

"Lord Danzo has ordered me to kill you personally," the Root nin said, raising his sword. Then he blurred.

Itachi almost died for the second time that day. His Sharingan could barely keep up with the mans blade. The blurring edge passed an inch from his neck as he flung himself straight backwards. Whoever this man was, his swordsmanship was extreme. Itachi threw four kunai. The man dodged them easily, stepping in and raising his blades for the killing blow. Suddenly, the knives changed direction, reflecting off each other and twining around a nearby lightpost. One of the knives impacted the Root-ninja in the leg. Another slammed into his arm.

Despite it all, the man kept moving. The blade swept down, the chakra weakened and disrupted but the steel no less deadly. The sword opened a shallow gash from Itachi's shoulder to his waist, spraying the ground with blood. Itachi stumbled backwards, already feeling the edges of shock setting in from the mortal wound.

"This is the end, Uchiha," the Root ninja said, raising his blade in his one good hand. The other dangled limply at his side. His leg was similarly weak and shakey, but Itachi could barely move. Before the blade came down, Itachi locked eyes with the man. Sharingan red met dark brown, and instantly the man froze as Itachi hit him with the strongest genjutsu he could muster. He poised there for a moment, sword on the verge of slaying the wounded Uchiha.

_Have to hold him off,_ Itachi thought, straining against the mans willpower. His chakra was rapidly depleting. The Sharingan faded from his eyes. _He's strong. _

The ninja broke it with obvious effort, shaking his head like he'd been punched one too many times. Without another word, he brought the sword down. Itachi closed his eyes.

There were three loud, meaty thunks. The ninja went down on top of him, face frozen in permanent surprise at his sudden death. Three shuriken had been sunk deep into his back.

_Reinforcements?_ Itachi thought weakly, turning his head. Sasuke stood there, eyes wide and red with initial Sharingan, holding Itachi's weapon bag. _Where . . . did he learn - ?_

He coughed weakly, the sound fluid and . Maybe the wound hadn't been as shallow as he'd thought. Itachi slipped quickly into darkness, his brother standing over him.

**oOoOoO Kushina OoOoOo **

"Another injured here!" Someone called, carting in the unconscious body of Itachi Uchiha.

The doctor cursed and pulled on a fresh pair of gloves. "We need another unit of plasma! This ones missing a lot of blood - and someone get this kid off me!" She swatted at Sasuke, who was holding onto her leg and babbling something about his brother. Her face was a mask of determination. Tsunade was to her right – far, far to her right, working on patients who weren't actively bleeding. Even so, her hands shook slightly while administering healing techniques.

Kushina glared around the room at anyone foolish enough to meet her gaze. Minato had stuck her with guard duty. _Guard duty._ _Inside_ the medical tent. Which just so incidentally put him in front of her, ready to intercept threats before she could intervene. To make things worse, when she objected he'd used his position as Hokage to make it an order, saying that 'in her condition, she had no place on the battlefield.'

She'd show him how much she could fight. Kushina crushed her ceramic mug, eyes blazing. Nearby patients shifted away from her uneasily.

**oOoOoO Sarutobi, Cave System Entrance OoOoOo**

It had taken a lot of ingenuity and the use of the Byakugan to find the hidden caves near Konoha. Luckily, during the search Sarutobi had been joined by no less than three members of the Hyuuga branch house and two chuunin who were otherwise unoccupied.

"I'll use clones to clear the traps," Sarutobi said, making the signs.

"No," one of the chuunins said, "I'll do it. You should preserve your chakra."

Three mud clones appeared and proceeded, one by one, into the gaping hole that was the enemy lair. From his position, the Third Hokage's eyes couldn't pierce the darkness inside, but he could hear the sound of kunai splitting the air. The chuunin sighed.

"My clones were all destroyed," he said rather regretfully. "This could take some time."

"We don't have time," Sarutobi growled, stepping forward. "Fire style – Phoenix Sage Flower!"

Hizashi gaped at the old man as he released eight head-sized fireballs into the cavern. "What about the heat bloom? If Naruto and Hinata are in there, they could - "

"Relax," Sarutobi said, hands still poised and eyes closed, "I'm guiding the technique. The heat will warp the seal script and trigger the kunai traps by melting the wires. Besides, the chamber you spotted was well back into the system."

After a moment, he sighed and released the technique. The seven ninja moved as one into the cave.

**oOoOoO Hinata OoOoOo**

Hinata huddled in her corner of the cell, as she had been doing since she woke up. She was surrounded by ninja, and she didn't know them. They'd tied her hands together, though, so they weren't friends. She peered out between her fingers, wondering what the different symbol on their forehead protectors meant.

Sudden activity made her close her eyes. If she sat there quietly long enough, maybe they'd forget she was here. She couldn't let them know she was watching them.

"Give me a hand, will you, this bastards heavy," one of the ninja said irritably. A loud thump echoed, followed by the sound of the iron hinges squealing as the door opened. "Damn it, he bled all over me. Lousy Uchiha."

Hinata waited until they closed the door, then counted to five before opening her eyes again. A man had been thrown into the cell next to hers. He looked like – well, an Uchiha. She couldn't tell if he had the dark eyes to go with the hair, as the eye that was facing her was covered in bandages. She risked a peek at the guards, who were rather disinterestedly playing some sort of card game.

"U-um," she whispered. The man didn't react. "Hello? A-are you all right?"

He stirred, turning to look at her, his black eyes dim. "Captured. How pathetic."

"I'm sorry," Hinata said quickly, looking down at the floor.

"Not you, me." The Uchiha sighed and pushed himself up against the wall so he could sit up. "I should have known that Anbu order was BS. Now I've gone and lost an eye. Who are you?"

"M-me?" She stammered, surprised. "I'm – um, I mean, I'm Hinato. Hinata. Hyuga."

The Uchiha watched, mouth quirked in a grin despite the terrible situation as she turned a fiery red. "Well, Hinata Hyuga, its nice to meet you. I'm Shisui."

OoOoOo Authors Note oOoOoO

Note to self, apologies to others - never promise an earlier chapter, because life will intervene, and you will rewrite it a hundred times.


	6. 6 Strings

Chapter 5 – Strings

oOoOoO **Naruto** OoOoOo

**What do you mean **_**out?**_

** I mean out. As in outside the seal.**

** How is that even possible? **

oOoOoO **Sarutobi** OoOoOo

He was going to save Minato's legacy, and no ninja would bar his way.

No matter how many of them had to die.

"Ninja style – Monkey Fist!" Sarutobi roared, punching straight ahead. The strange stone-avatar skin the man was using was no defense against his technique. It caused massive reverberations via a burst of chakra over a wide area. The chakra wave went straight through him, turning the unfortunate target's internal organs to jelly in quasi-Gentle Fist style. The Rock Ninja fell with a strangled moan, his eyes already glassing over.

His seven man group had been whittled down to three, including him. Hizashi and one of the Hyuga's branch members were all that accompanied him, the others being lost to enemy traps and soldiers. They continued on, barely pausing to confirm their allies deaths. Sarutobi wrapped his injured hand in a bandage, cursing as he ran.

_I'm not as young as I once was,_ he reflected. _My bones are getting awfully brittle._

A change in the lighting up ahead alerted him. They were coming up on a populated room. Without a visible signal, the two Hyuga's moved ahead of their Hokage with a quick burst of speed.

oOoOoO **Hinata** OoOoOo

Shisui went quiet after he introduced himself. She was worried, but couldn't think of anything to do. The girl peeked at him through her fingers. He was collapsed against the cell wall, his breathing slow but shallow. She wished she could use the Byakugan – maybe his chakra would tell her something.

So occupied was she with her fellow prisoner that she didn't even notice when the situation changed completely.

The first rock ninja was on guard. He'd heard the clashing of weapons, and dispatched one of the three guards to alert Danzo.

His diligence cost him his life when Hizashi Hyuga flashed through the doorway with speed Minato could appreciate and Fugaku would gasp at. Those who sparred with Hyuga clan members often forgot the sheer lethality of the Gentle Fist style. It was generally thought that the Hyuga's Bloodline Limit was inferior to the Sharingan, as the Sharingan allowed the Uchiha to follow the moves of their opponents.

What the sparring partners of the Hyuga failed to recognize was that if a master of Gentle Fist wanted you dead, you only needed to get hit once.

Hizashi simply hit the man. One strike to the center of mass, and he fell. No ninja techniques, no flashy hand signs.

He just dropped dead.

Hinata stared, horrified. Suddenly, she realized the door to her cage was open, and the last member of her guards was holding a knife to her neck.

"Don't even think about it!" He said, plainly terrified as two more men stepped out of the shadows of the tunnel. "I _will_ kill her! Stand back, all of you!"

"No matter where you run, these eyes will follow you," Hizashi said calmly, the veins on his forehead standing out. Sarutobi and the branch member stood behind him, silently regarding the ninja. "No matter where you hide, these eyes will find you. No matter how you struggle, I _will_ kill you to reclaim my niece."

"But you can't now, can you?" The guard said, grinning viciously despite the fear in his eyes. "Make a move, and I'll slit her throat! I swear I will!"

"Hey," a voice said from her right. The man spared a glance, then froze.

"Impossible," he breathed. "The seals - "

"I broke those an hour ago," Shisui said, the Mangekyo flaring in his eyes, "and now, I think its time for you to die. _KOTOAMATSUKAMI!"_

oOoOoO **Naruto **OoOoOo

**Don't you think that's kind of a bad idea? I mean, aren't you sort of the seal itself?**

** If I leave, the seal should stay intact. The frameworks in place. Just try not to do anything rash.**

** Well. . . how do I let you out in the first place?**

** Simple.**The Advocates eyes burned a dull red. **You just have to agree.**

oOoOoO **Shisui** OoOoOo

Shisui was in a lot of pain. They'd popped his eye out of his socket! That was mega gross! To top it all off, no painkillers, the cheap bastards. He scowled, willing himself to focus. The Hyuga branch member was supporting him with one arm and guiding Hinata with the other down the long exit tunnel. How embarrassing – lowered to the level of an easily led child.

"Lord Hiashi is most eagerly waiting for your return," the branch member told the kid, smiling down at her. Shisui scowled at him. Normally he wasn't such a downer, but damn, Hyuga ticked him off. They always acted like that – 'o_h look, we're in the middle of a battle and we're all horribly wounded or suffering from a severe case of childhood, but lets not worry, at least we're halfway through the minefield!'_

"Would it kill you to loosen the mask for a moment?" Shisui asked grumpily. "I mean, the _kid_ can see that you're worried about Hizashi."

"Hizashi is -" The Hyuga began, then stopped and sighed. "Important to the branch family."

"I'm glad we haven't been introduced. I can't stand introverted people like you." Shisui turned his head away in an obvious snub. Hinata chuckled. Both of them turned to look at her. As if realizing what she just did, the girl turned red and hid her face in the Hyuga's coat. Shisui grinned at him. He got a hesitant smile in return. "Well, maybe you Hyuga aren't the _worst_."

oOoOoO **Sarutobi** OoOoOo

"It's over Danzo," the former Hokage said, raising a kunai. Hizashi was at his side, bloodied but standing. Naruto was behind them, sitting quietly with his eyes closed. "Your pride has cost us many fine ninja this day, and grievously wounded the village."

The lord and master of Root turned to face the old man, his eye still burning a dull blue. "You're a fool if you think I didn't expect this. Then again, you've always been a fool – too afraid to do whats necessary, too weak to see what must be done."

"And this - " Sarutobi gestured to the dead ninja surrounding him, a disturbing number of which were wearing Konoha headbands, " - is your idea of _strength_?"

"Sacrifices must be made for the greater glory of Konoha," Danzo said, his voice unwavering even as his eye's brightness flickered. "I must seize control of this catastrophe and - "

"_You made this catastrophe!"_ The old man bellowed, furious. "This war started because of you! At this point in time, Konoha is best on all sides by enemies, and is torn apart from within! What has become of you, Danzo?! Is this the man who swore to be the roots that held up the great tree?"

"I – I didn't," Danzo stuttered, his voice suddenly holding doubt. The blue light faded completely. "Sarutobi, I - "

Like a thunderclap without sound, the Third was thrown straight backwards. He collided with the rock wall with a heavy thump and the crack of several ribs. Hizashi, who was next to him, had the superb reflexes of his house and moved immediately into a Kaiten at the sudden wave of malevolent energy.

Danzo straightened, his eyes a cold, imperious blue. "I should have known better than to trust this worthless pawn to fulfill his role."

"Impossible," Hizashi said, the Byakugan active. "What _are_ you?"

Danzo smirked, unraveling his bandaged eye. "Your new master. _KOTOAMATSUKAMI!"_

Sarutobi watched, horrified, as Hizashi stood ramrod still, seeming to fight against the orders rushing through his brain. After a moment, the man slumped.

"Of course," he said, eyes on the floor.

"Danzo," Sarutobi said, his breath coming in wheezes, "what have you done?"

'Danzo' chuckled. "That young man is really something. It took me a decade of scheming to achieve this sort of control via Madara, and even then I needed to take full control in the end. Then along comes Shisui, and he just mentions – mentions! - in one of his mission reports that 'Oh yeah, I can control minds.' I thought it would be hard, but no, Danzo wanted that power for himself. I would have been content to wait, but well, your Fourth was getting uppity."

"You're not Danzo," Sarutobi said, his eyes hardening. There was no question in his tone. "Who are you?"

"I," 'Danzo' said softly, "am this worlds inevitable future. I am the Architect of Higher Thought, ruler of the realms of Intellect, Control, and Machinations. And you will bow, worthless human, before this world ends."

oOoOoO **Naruto **OoOoOo

**I agree.**

oOoOoO **Sarutobi** OoOoOo

For the second time that evening, a wave of energy pushed him against the wall. This time, though, he didn't have much room to build up speed. Unfortunately, his broken ribs protested. Loudly.

The breath wheezed out of him. It was all he could do to stare at what was going on.

Naruto's shirt had ripped open. The seal was flowing out of him – that was the only way to describe it. Inky darkness flowed and gathered, the tendrils questing left and right as if alive. When they met the body of a ninja, the whole thing ripped itself free and flowed into it. Sarutobi watched, horrified, as Naruto hit the ground bonelessly and the corpse began to twitch.

"Ah," the corpse said, stretching. A broken arm snapped into place and healed as Sarutobi watched. "The freedom to move. At last. I thought I'd have to listen to your damn monologue all day, Architect."

"You - " 'Danzo' said, his voice horrified. "You're - "

"I am the Advocate of Destruction," the body said, picking itself up off the floor. Claws exploded from its forearms in grotesque mimicry of the Kaguya's Bone Pulse blood limit. "Master of Entropy, Keeper of the Gates, Lord of Time and Entropy and Ruler of Gehenna."

The body smiled, showing more teeth than strictly necessary. "It's been too long, older brother. Did you miss me?"

oOoOoO **Fugaku Uchiha, Uchiha Compound** OoOoOo

"My sons are out there somewhere. We have no time to argue about this foolishness!" Fugaku railed, slamming his hand down onto the table. The elders simply stared back, their eyes cold.

"You must put your personal feelings aside, Fugaku, and consider what is best for the clan." Yumi Uchiha. Once a distinguished archer, now an elder. "While the village is distracted, we can assassinate the Hokage and other leadership elements with ease. This is our only chance – Minato will not be expecting it."

"With Minato, Hiashi, and Shikaku out of the way, the Uchiha can begin to crawl out of the shadows at last." Akira Uchiha. A master of Genjutsu and eye-catching diversions.

Finally, the last elder. Ryouji Uchiha, whose chakra reserves rivaled the Senju for potency, and whose swordsmanship exceeded all contenders in his prime. Fugaku regarded him furiously. "I take it you also agree with this. . . madness?"

Ryouji's face was impassive. "We must, as always think of the good of the clan."

"This is the perfect opportunity. We can use Danzo's Root as a decoy perpetrator," Akira said, her eyes narrowed as she stared at the man.

"Is there no way I can convince you?" Fugaku already knew the answer. It was in his tone. When they remained silent, he closed his eyes. "What's your plan?"

Author's Note

So many people wanted a chapter immediately, so thank you, all you desperate reviewers, for getting me off my lazy butt :D


	7. 7 Self Destruct

Chapter 7 – Self Destruct

Author's Note

I know, its shorter than you probably want it to be, and its been forever. I wish I could say I had a good excuse, but really, I've just been lazy and writers blocked. I know, I'm a terrible person. I'll try and get the next one out sooner.

oOoOoO **Naruto** OoOoOo

Neither seemed willing to make the first move.

The Advocate and Architect stared at each other, one grinning, the other looking absolutely shocked.

After a moment, the Architects eyes narrowed. "I was right earlier – this is literally impossible. You can't be here."

"And yet - " the Advocate gestured, indicating his stolen body, "here I am."

"A facsimile. A tendril of influence. Nothing but the shadow of a shadow. If you tried to force even a fragment of your power into this world, it would pop like a soap bubble." His voice became more and more confident as he continued. "You're merely a _construct, _a clone, a piece of your consciousness stuck in a worthless shell_."_

"And what are you wearing, huh? A discount flesh suit?" The corpse chuckled. "At least I had the manners to wait till the owner was dead before taking over his body."

Naruto twitched, rolling over slowly as the two brothers faced off. Everything hurt, like he'd been using Sage Mode for hours. If he'd ever had Kurama extracted from him, this is what he'd imagine it would feel like afterwards. Sarutobi had impacted the wall near him, and was watching the events with horrified eyes. Hizashi was standing off towards the center of the room, head still bowed, meekly awaiting the commands of his new master. Naruto shuddered at his blank, staring eyes, and started crawling.

"I've had enough of your insolence," Architect said coldly, raising a hand. Two Root ninja appeared seemingly out of thin air, their appearances disheveled and bloody. "Use lightning techniques to stun it, then fire to finish it off."

The two Leaf ninja began making hand signs, no doubt to fulfill their masters order. Naruto glanced around, but there was no way he could assist. Avoiding fire techniques in such a cramped space would be next to impossible.

"You remembered. I'm touched." The monstrosity grinned. "However, I don't like this stage. Perhaps we should change location." He raised one hand into the air, palm open. "After all, those are _very_ nice explosive seals you've written all over the dome."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he made note of the hundreds of etched markings surrounding them. Some of them were explosive seals?! If only ten percent of them exploded, they could level the Hokage Monument!

Advocates hand closed. The lines lit up red as the seals activated. Time slowed down for Naruto.

He was going to die.

Without accomplishing anything, he was going to die. Sarutobi, whose hands glowed with healing chakra, would die. Hinata, who was somewhere else in the compound, was going to die.

Her face filled his mind, smiling, eyes forgiving. Maybe that wouldn't be the worst.

_No way in hell._

Naruto's eyes snapped open, flashing red as he poured all his strength into one final lunge.

oOoOoO **Sarutobi** OoOoOo

He formed the hand seals just in time as several moderately cataclysmic things occurred.

One, the 'Advocate' that had come out of Naruto's seal closed his hand into a fist, somehow activating another ninja's explosive tags without touching the seal array. Said explosive tags would pack enough firepower to destroy a large chunk of Konoha.

Two, the false-Danzo and his Root shinobi formed several earth techniques. The barriers rose, substituting quality for quantity as Hizashi moved into the circle with them. The Architects eyes glowed with fury as he looked at his brother, but he made no move to leave the protective dome.

Three, Naruto's eyes flashed red, and he was now just close enough -

"Earth style – Diamond Rampart!" Sarutobi roared, his lungs burning with the sudden effort. The crystalline barrier rose as the red glow deepened.

oOoOoO **Shisui** OoOoOo

Luckily, they'd just left the cave.

Because, well, there was no cave anymore.

Covered in dust, Shisui stared open mouthed at the collapsed entrance. Fragments of stone bounced off the top of his head. Luckily, the blast had mostly settled for collapsing the tunnel, or the fragments would be much sharper and way more deadly. As it was, his clothes were even more ripped and torn than when he'd come in, and there were several new bloody scratches to add to his misery.

"Hinata?" He called, turning towards the child, but she had been sheltered from the worst by the branch family member. He let out a sigh of relief. "Seriously, what the hells going on back there? Did those Root go suicidal or what?"

Something flashed through the trees. Shisui's Sharingan activated out of instinct - for a brief moment. His chakra was low enough, it turned off almost immediately. Root ninja – lots of them, probably all that remained of the force that had attempted to bring down the village. All of them were headed deeper into the forest, straight towards the ominous chakra signature.

_What happened while I was on that mission?_ Shisui thought, before unconsciousness pulled him under.

oOoOoO **Hiruzen Sarutobi **OoOoOo

The rush of chakra required for the powerful defensive technique was very quickly draining his reserves. Sarutobi released the technique with a gasp, wincing as the movement put strain on his newly reconstructed ribs. He wasn't exactly the best at medical techniques, but he had enough knowledge to mend the fractures.

He turned to Naruto, running a green palm down his side as he performed a standard diagnostic technique. The boy's chakra was running wild, but the seal was holding, and his life wasn't in danger.

Whatever else he could do would have to wait. The crystalline barrier was disintegrating without his chakra to hold it in place.

To his surprise, the Advocate was standing directly outside his barrier, obviously waiting for it go down. The puppet cursed Danzo was still in his earthen dome. Sarutobi made a few seals, the familiar signs second nature to him after decades of practice.

"Summoning technique!" he called, biting one finger and slamming the hand onto the ground. Enma appeared, crouched and ready for combat.

"Easy there, old man," the Advocate said, holding his hands out in a gesture of peace. "Wouldn't want you to break a hip or something."

"What – no, who are you?" Sarutobi asked curtly, ignoring the insults. "Why are you here?"

"I already introduced myself, and as to why I'm here - " He jerked a thumb at the dome, " - well, its a bit of a family matter."

"Hiruzen," Enma spoke up, "I thought you dismantled Root?"

"I thought so as well," Sarutobi muttered, wiping off the trickle of blood that was running down his face. He'd never been the best medical ninja, but to tutor Tsunade, he'd learned the basics. His cracked ribs were mostly healed already, and he'd stopped actively bleeding, but he was still a mess. That chakra explosion had caught him off guard. "Still, its not the time for that."

"Considering we're surrounded by Root operatives, I think it actually might be relevant," Advocate said, nonchalantly stepping aside as a kunai streaked across the rubble-strewn crater, slicing through the area where he'd been standing a second before. "They were probably confused with my choice of disguise."

The dome cracked, earth chunks falling as it opened, revealing Danzo and his two lackeys.

"I can handle Danzo, or I can handle the Root operatives," Sarutobi muttered, "but I can't handle both."

"Truce?" Advocate offered.

"For now," Sarutobi said, standing. "Earth style – Lattice Dome." A dome of rock appeared, surrounding the unconscious child. "Enma."

The monkey king nodded, forming himself into the adamantine staff.

"How are we going to divide this up?" The Advocate said, eying the Root members as they stepped out of the trees.

"I'll take Danzo. You take care of the Root operatives."

Advocate scowled at him. "No, I'll fight my brother. Its the whole reason I'm here."

"That isn't your brother, monster. That's Danzo, a true patriot of Konoha, and he deserves to be treated like one." There was more iron in his voice than he normally put in it. Jiraiya had always told him that when angry, he could scare Tsunade, and out-glare Orochimaru. The two stared at each other for a moment, willing the other to back down. Finally, the Advocate snorted.

"Alright, have it your way. This body isn't in the best condition anyways. I'll pick up the spares, and you can take on my brother." Advocate grabbed the mans shoulder as he turned. Hiruzen almost counterattacked, but managed to stymie the impulse at the last second. "If you fail – I'll finish him for you."

"I wont," Sarutobi said, shrugging the man off as he stepped forward. The Advocate, whatever he was, simply grinned as he turned to face the circle of ninja. Without another word, both men exploded into action, leaping for their respective targets.

oOoOoO **Minato** OoOoOo

Minato staggered into the hospital, more from mental exhaustion rather than a lack of chakra. The Root attacks had ceased, the remaining minions of Danzo having retreated or gone to ground after their ignominious defeat. Despite the advantage of surprise, the weight of numbers was too heavily against them. It had been hideously bloody, but Minato's defense of the hospital let them save many lives that would have been lost.

He just hoped Kushina would forgive him for not telling her that Naruto had been kidnapped. It wasn't a matter of strength. Holding a child hostage against his mother would be childs play for someone like a Rock ninja. Sarutobi was strong – he could handle it.

Something erupted outside. Minato staggered, falling against an empty bed. Tray tables full of surgical tools fell to the ground. Patients followed them, some with broken limbs already. Nurses rushed around frantically, stabilizing patients whose wounds had ripped open once more.

"What was that?" Kushina asked, rushing to his side. "I feel – wheres Naruto?"

Minato could only stare into the distance; a malevolent energy permeated the air, weak at this distance but enough to make him nauseous. It disappeared almost as soon as he felt it.

_The Kyuubi? _

oOoOoO **Fugaku** OoOoOo

"This is all of them, then?" Fugaku asked, staring out at the fifteen Uchiha that had assembled. The atmosphere was relaxed, with an undercurrent of tension. They were making an effort to show how utterly unafraid they were, as if taking on the village they'd been born in was something they'd practiced for every day.

"Yes," Akira said, looking proud. "The Hokage has left the village with his wife. Shikaku is still in Anbu Headquarters, coordinating disaster relief efforts and scouting parties. These Uchiha will put everything on the line for their clan and strike a blow for our honor. When they day is out, we should be able to put the Hokage's hat on your head."

"And none of them have any. . . doubts?"

"No," Akira said, frowning at him. "They're absolutely loyal to the cause, and they share our ideas."

"Good," Fugaku said, his eyes closing. When they opened, they opened blood red. "Then we can begin."


End file.
